Growing On Me
by Izzy Yuki Hime
Summary: A group of shinigami return to Karakura Town after 3 years. But Toshiro has to stay with his least favorite substitute shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo. Is this hate he feels? Or something...else? Rated M for LEMON. AU, Yaoi. Ichi/Hitsu
1. A Fly in the Ointment

**A/N:** So, here is my new Ichigo/Toshiro fic, and it's actaully got chapters, instead of being a oneshot! I know, crazy right? Anyway, I should warn you that it's not going to be all hearts and flowers from moment. Instead, hopefully it will be funny and **then** romantic. Possible OOC-ness from just about everyone. And Yaoi, throughout, although only explicitly in later chapters.

**Big thanks** to the people who** reviewed** Innocence: **dragonfire7654321, **and **Samps432**. You **ROX!**

Reviwers get mentions, and lurve. I might even write in an idea you like if you're really nice. ;)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach. That belongs to a man who does not believe in this uber sexy pairing... /sniffs/

* * *

**Chapter I – A Fly in the Ointment**

Tenth Division Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro stared at the invoice on his desk in horror.

'This cannot be happening!', he muttered desperately, his eyes scanning the paper again. He groaned, and buried his face in his hands. _Why, oh god, why me?_, he thought angrily. Furiously, he crumpled the paper up into a ball, and threw it out of the door. It hit his fukutaichou, Matsumoto Rangiku, square in the chest as she walked into the office, lodging in the valley of cleavage between her outsized breasts.

'Taichou? What's the matter?', she said worriedly. He had mellowed a lot since their time in Karakura Town; now over three years ago. Hitsugaya would never admit it, but Rangiku had the sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with his rapid growth rate in the human world. He was still on the small side, but it was easier to garner equal treatment from your peers when you are 5'6", and not 5'.

She shook her head and sighed. Her thoughts were wandering as usual. She turned them back to her now not- so- mellow taichou, who was rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. She fished out the balled up paper from between her enormous boobs, and unfolded it, reading the contents.

'Ohmigod!', she shrieked excitedly. 'We're going back to Karakura Town! Oh Taichou, that's awesome, don't you think?'

'No. I don't. Check out the boarding arrangements.' Hurriedly, the blonde read further down the invoice, checking out the bit that said who would be staying where. She gave a small squeal of delight when she saw she would be staying with Inoue Orihime again. God that girl had good ideas when it came to cooking. Her culinary skills were on a par with Rangiku's own. She read down further, and suddenly saw what had made her taichou so upset.

'But…Taichou? Why are you staying with-'

'Kurosaki Ichigo? I don't know. But I would hazard a guess that as the substitute shinigami is now eighteen and living on his own, Kuchiki Byakuya was not too keen on his sister –who, as I recall, had a bit of a thing for that orange haired maniac, god knows why- living with him without parental supervision to keep them from getting too…involved…' Rangiku stifled a giggle as she watched her taichou talk about sex. The distaste on his face was priceless. It was sad really, that someone of age 328 hadn't got laid more often, especially when they were this handsome. She made a mental note to set him up with someone, then turned back to the issue in hand.

'Couldn't you swap with someone? Ikkaku say, or Yumichika. They don't mind Ichigo. Hell, I'd swap if you wanted. I don't mind him.' Hitsugaya looked up at her, obviously touched that she would give up her place with Orihime –who she loved- to let him be happy.

'You are too kind, Rangiku. But unfortunately, Yamamoto-sama has approved the arrangements already, and I get the feeling he's not going to want to change things around simply because I dislike my host. Good god, he would probably think I was being **petty**. And it has taken me far too long to be treated like an adult around here for me to wreck that for no other reason than I hate Kurosaki Ichigo, and I'm going to have to spend time with him. I shall just have to put up with him, and hope that he is not **too** obnoxious.' Rangiku jumped inwardly, glad that she could still stay with Orihime.

'Thank you Taichou! You are so good to me!' She thought for a moment, before coming up with a suitable expression of her gratitude. 'I will go and do all of my paperwork now, I think.' Hitsugaya stared at her, shocked. Finally, as she was sitting down at her desk, he spoke.

'You must really want to stay with Orihime-san if you're willing to do all your paperwork as a thank you.' His fukutaichou nodded, smiling slightly.

'Hai, Taichou. Orihime is very kind, and she understands how difficult life can be with breasts like mine.' Hitsugaya nodded. He was one of the few people who say the brains behind Matsumoto's breasts. Then again, most of the time, that suited her. And generally, it was easier to pretend than to try and convince people that she was smart. The blonde did not believe in fighting battles you weren't going to win. 'Also, she has a great culinary skill, almost as good as me.' Her taichou blanched involuntarily, having had to eat Matsumoto's cooking before. It was not an experience that you forgot.

'How nice for you, Rangiku. Now, let us get to work.'

'Hai Taichou!'

Two heads bent over their respective paperwork, and soon the office was filled with the sounds of pens on paper, and quiet breathing.

* * *

Later that night, Toshiro lay on his futon, staring at the ceiling as he contemplated the horror he would soon have to face. Kurosaki Ichigo.

He wasn't sure exactly what about the substitute shinigami pissed him off so much, but whatever it was, it did a **really** good job. Kurosaki got under his skin like no one else, driving him up the walls with a look, a gesture, a word. He was cocky; arrogant; insufferable. He was so sure of his abilities that he plunged into situations recklessly, not pausing to consider the cosequences if he was not up to the challenge. He seemed to have no respect for anyone, treating everyone and everything the same. His efforts in school did not use his talents to their full potential, and worst of all, his hair was **orange.**

Toshiro knew this was stupid, but it annoyed him so much. True, his own hair was an unnatural colour, but he was a child genius; a prodigy. It was ok for him to look a little weird. But Kurosaki…well, he was a **substitute** shinigami, for god's sake. True, he was very skilled, and had beaten Kuchiki Byakuya in a fight, but still…**orange**. Renji's was red, but it was normal for hair to be red, and it rather suited Renji, with his wild tattoos and tanned skin. Toshiro's thoughts wandered a little, imagining just how far Renji's tattoos went. He'd always had a thing for the sixth divison fukutaichou, but he knew he was destined to remain unsatisfied in that area; Renji was closely involved with Hitsugaya's former lover, Kuchiki Byakuya, a man whose temperament was as stoic and solemn as his own had once been. Now, he was a little more relaxed, a fact Rangiku liked to point out. He smiled at that thought.

His friendship with his lieutenant had come on in leaps and bounds since their last visit to Karakura Town, and now they were good friends. It was something neither of them had anticipated, but strangely enough, their personalities seemed well suited, and they got long famously. Not that anyone was allowed to know this. It would most definitely spoil their fun. Matsumoto loved to create a scene, and Hitsugaya loved to help her, playing the part of the stuffy taichou, keeping his reputation as it should be.

Then his thoughts turned back to the substitute shinigami. _Oh gods_, he said silently_, please keep me from killing him._ He was still thinking up ways to stay out of Kurosaki's way and keep his temper, when he fell asleep.

* * *

Two days later, having made sure he had everything he needed packed into a small canvas bag, he assembled at the gate into the real world, along with his companions from the previous trip: Kuchiki Rukia, Abarai Renji, Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and his fukutaichou, who waved cheerily when she saw him.

'Hi Taichou! Are you excited? I am! It's gonna be so great! Me and Orihime are gonna cook all kinds of great food, with bean paste and fruit jelly and…' He tuned out as Matsumoto wittered on, knowing she wouldn't mind. The gate began to open, and he sighed, mentally preparing himself for his ordeal.

A figure approached them, running at full tilt. Hitsugaya squinted and saw the stupid 69 tattoo on his face. _Oh great. Now we have the delightful company of Hisagi Shuuhei_, he thought bitterly.

'Hey guys! Wait for me!', Hisagi shouted. He was greeted with whoops from Renji and Ikkaku. Yumichika just smiled in a scarily feline way.

'Yamamoto thought you could do with an extra hand, so he sent me. He figured I could do with a rest from running the Ninth, so he's let my third and fourth seats take over for a bit.' Everyone except Hitsugaya smiled. They began to chatter eagerly, only pausing to stare as Kuchiki Byakuya appeared.

'Rukia', he said quietly. She stared at him with something akin to fear. 'Stay safe. I don't want you getting hurt.' She gaped, clearly shocked, then hugged him . He waved his arms awkwardly before settling them around her gently. She pulled away at last, her eyes brimming with tears.

'Goodbye Ni-sama. I promise to take care of myself.' He nodded, then turned to his fukutaichou, who blushed almost imperceptibly.

'Renji, a word please.' Renji nodded, and they disappeared for a couple of minutes before the redhead came back alone, with red, slightly puffy lips. Yumichika's eyes widened, but he clearly decided to say nothing. Hisagi slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him close and garnering a smile.

'Chika-chan, let's go', he said to the feminine fifth seat. 'The gate's open and I want to see Karakura Town. You make it sound so cool.' Yumichika's smile widened.

'Hai, Shuuhei. Let's go. I have **lots ** to show you, ne?' Something about his tone scared Hitsugaya a little, but he kept his mouth shut. He did **not** want to picture those two together. Hell, their public displays of affection did not leave him with much to imagine, but it was not a pretty picture. He might be bi-sexual, but that was one couple that wasn't so hot.

Shuddering slightly, he stepped through the gate first, everyone else following him. Time and space swirled briefly, and then he walked into the underground cavern at Urahara Kisuke's shop. A group of people waited with the eccentric shopkeeper, the hosts and hostesses for the shinigamis amongst them.

'Yo! Toshiro!' a certain orange haired teen called, waving stupidly, even taller than before. A small part of Hitsugaya's brain said: _It's not fair._ The rest said: _Oh god, it's going to be even worse than I thought. _ Grimacing inwardly, the tenth division captain walked over to his new roommate. _I can do this_, he thought. _It's only a few months. _ He sighed a little. _Who am I kidding?_

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**A/N:** Come on , review! I was up late.


	2. An Annoyance

**A/N:** And here is Chapter II, cause I'm nice. Enjoy it!

**AND REVIEW!**

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**Chapter II – An Annoyance:**

Ichigo was more than a little pissed off. Just over a week ago, he'd found out that a group of shinigami were coming to Karakura Town for a few months –the same group that had been there over three years ago, plus Hisagi. He'd expected to be playing host to Rukia, and was unpleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case. _Bloody Byakuya_, he thought angrily. _Just cause he knows I'm living alone now, and that we certainly wouldn't sticking to the same house rules as we were at the clinic_. The small part of his brain that had been dancing around saying 'Sex! Sex!', quietened down sadly. He had scanned the list of who would be lodging with who, hoping for Renji, who would be up for a bit of fooling around, or Ikkaku, Hisagi or Matsumoto. To his relief, he wasn't saddled with Yumichika. The fifth seat was fun alright, but oh so scary with his feminine ways. Still fervently hoping, he scanned down the list to see, beside his name, that of…

'Tenth Division Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro?! The FUCK?!', the eighteen year old had exclaimed angrily. He'd sent a letter to Yamamoto-san, politely requesting a change, and had received an equally polite reply, telling him no such thing would happen. Cursing, he had thrown the letter in the bin.

After a day or so, he had reconciled himself to spending them next few months of his life with the frosty child prodigy. He even managed to forget how obnoxiously uptight the guy was until he had met him at Urahara's. From the he had said hello, he could feel the Captain's hostile reiatsu rolling off him in waves. He had ignored this, trying to be friendly, happily greeting his friends from Seireitei warmly, embracing Rukia, Yumichika and Rangiku-san, and doing macho guy greetings with Renji, Ikkaku and Hisagi. They chattered easily, until Ichigo saw the boy wonder tapping his foot impatiently, a scowl on his all together totally gorgeous face. _What the-?_, thought Ichigo. _That was not a good thought. _ Hastily, he began to think on other things, such as what they could eat for dinner.

He detached himself from his friends, a comment Matsumoto had made some months earlier in a phone call sticking in his head as he walked over to his new roommate.

'He's not that bad. He's just too scared to trust people enough to make friends. His life in Rukongai was hard, and he is so used to having to protect people he cares about, he forgets that now, most of his friends can take care of themselves.' Hitsugaya Toshiro, worried about people? This intrigued him, and he filed the words away for careful scrutiny later.

In the present though, he was faced with a considerably less appealing –and much taller, he noticed- version of Toshiro.

'Can we please get back to whatever dump you call a flat, and have something to eat?', the genius said coldly. 'I have been up since dawn, and one finds it makes you rather hungry having to put up with morons.' Ichigo felt his eyebrows draw together in a frown, and made a conscious effort to relax. _Be nice_, his inner Orihime said.

'Sure Toshiro. It's only about ten minutes from here. We can walk back, and I'll cook some rice or something.'

'It's Hitsugaya-Taichou to you, **substitute**.' Then the smaller teen began to walk up the steps to Urahara's shop, leaving a furious Ichigo behind him.

* * *

Toshiro was trying to be nice, really, he was. But there was something about Kurosaki that just made him want to scream and shout and _kiss his face off?_ said a little voice inside. _What? NO. __Punch__ his face off. _ And in order to refrain from this undignified behaviour, he took refuge in being a sarcastic, bitter old man. _Charming_, said the little voice.

The walk back to the flat hadn't been too bad, as Kurosaki was obviously annoyed and had kept quiet, saving Toshiro from having to try and keep from _snogging his face off?_, suggested the little voice again. _NO,_ he said to himself again. _Just NO. That is not how it is. I was actually thinking 'thinking up more sarky remarks.' _ The voice chuckled, and he could almost **hear** the smirk. His inner Rangiku –as he christened the voice- said, mockingly: _Sure. Of course you were thinking that. And not about those lips of his, which are really rather delicious looking and probably nice and soft and warm and kissable-_

_**NO!!**_, he roared, inside his head. Luckily, at that moment, Kurosaki began to speak. With his lips. Which were rather soft looking, and- _No. Focus. _His inner Byakuya cut through his brain's thoughts like a hot knife through butter. He focussed.

'This is where I live', Kurosaki said, indicating a huge house, ornately decorated and very elegant. Toshiro stared in shock, fumbling for a words. At last, he came up with:

'**You** live **here**? In **that **house, that **mansion**?' Ichigo nodded, then smiled suddenly, laughing.

'Oh god, I get it. You think I live in this house, right?' Toshiro nodded, feeling like he had missed something. 'Well, I do live in this house, but not all of it. It was some ancient family's ancestral home, and then they died out. So the city council turned it into apartments, and I bought one. They're really nice actually.' He laughed again. 'You should have seen your face! It was priceless.' Toshiro scowled, hating being mocked by Kurosaki.

'Well can we go into your 'really nice' apartment and get some food? I'm still hungry.' _Way to kill the moment_, Rangiku said. _Oh shut it!_, he replied, trying hard not to see the hurt in Kurosaki's eyes.

The orange haired teen nodded curtly, and went up the broad marble stairs leading to the double front doors. He pulled one open, and indicated for his guest to enter. Toshiro went into the house, finding himself in a large lobby, with a large staircase bending up the wall at one end, a few sofas and coffee tables, and four lifts. It was beautifully decorated, and very graceful. He was impressed, despite himself.

'We'll take the lift', Ichigo said, walking towards one, and pushing the 'Up' button. 'It's quicker, and I don't want to keep you and your stomach waiting any longer than necessary.' There was only the barest hint of sarcasm in his voice. Inwardly, Toshiro winced a little. Maybe his grumpy old man plan was not such a good idea. He'd forgotten two things: a) that he'd be sharing a living space with the teen, and b) that Kurosaki was actually clever. Sighing inwardly, he stepped into the now open lift behind Kurosaki, watching as the teen pressed the '2' button. They went up to the second floor in silence, getting out of the lift when it stopped.

They were in a long corridor, with several doors leading off it. Toshiro counted seven in all, two leading to staircases, and only two with numbers on them. He followed Ichigo, who stopped out the door with the number '5' written on it, and fished around in his jeans pocket, pulling out a key and inserting it into the lock, opening the door. He pulled out the key, and stepped back, bowing mockingly as he allowed Toshiro to pass him, and go into the apartment.

'Welcome to my humble abode.'

* * *

It was official. Toshiro was impressed.

He had been all set to sneer and mock, but this was not what he had expected. The apartment was large, with lots of south- facing windows and expansive rooms. There were nine rooms in all: a kitchen; a dining room; a sitting room; a bathroom; two bedrooms; a study; a home gym and a games room. There were also several balconies, leading off the sitting room, bathroom, bedrooms and study, and even joining up between the bathroom and two bedrooms (which were connected by the bathroom).

Having seen the size of the apartment, Toshiro had at least hoped to be able to find something wrong with Kurosaki's taste. But yet again, he was foiled.

It appeared that Ichigo had an eye for colours and shapes, having created an apartment that was a pleasant, elegant, cross between modern and classical, with eccentric little twists here and there. Even the art hung on the walls was good. Grudgingly, the young taichou complimented his host.

'You were right. It is really nice.' He had expected Kurosaki to reply with some cocky retort, but was surprised that this was not the case. Instead:

'Thank you', he said sincerely. 'I tried very hard not to go against the feel of the place, and I'm pleased someone else likes it.' Then a huge grin spread across his face. 'Rice!', he declared happily.

Toshiro sighed, and went to put his bag into his new room. He unpacked the few things he had bought with him: Hyorinmaru, some of his favourite scented candles –he'd brought cinnamon, mint and vanilla, knowing any more might be noticed, something that could not happen. Only Rangiku knew of his little weakness; his strange little preference; and he planned for it to stay that way.- a few books –Pride& Prejudice (Mr Darcy was a hero of his), Cold Comfort Farm (how he laughed at the British), and Nicholas Nickelby- his comb and shampoo, a couple of yakuta, and a kimono. He hung the clothes, then went to the kitchen, where he found Ichigo about to microwave some rice.

'Oh gods, stop!', he said, shocked. 'You **cannot** cook rice like that. It will be **disgusting**.' Ichigo looked at him stupidly. He sighed, and threw on the apron he saw hanging on the back of the door. 'Have you ever even cooked rice before?' Ichigo shook him head, at least having the decency to look ashamed.

'Yuuzu usually brings me food, or I order out. But I figured it can't be that hard, so I thought I'd give it a go. You could at least try to look grateful.' Toshiro sighed again.

'Kurosaki, you really are an idiot. I will make the rice, or it will end up as a giant glutinous lump of mess. And before you ask, living in Rukongai –or for that matter, in Seireitei, as Rangiku is **useless** at getting us any lunch- you have to learn how to cook. And at eighteen, you should know how. So I will cook, and you will watch. Ok?' Ichigo nodded, groaning inwardly. _He's already taking over my life, and he's only been here half an hour_, he thought. _What's my life going to be like after a week?_ Then he gritted his teeth, trying to be stoic like Chad, and bear any burden. _He is an annoyance_, he told himself. _An annoyance; nothing more._

* * *

**A/N:** Mwahaha! Nothing can save them now! They're so gonna hate me for this. /goes and hides in a cupboard, praying that I have no reiastu for Toshiro to follow/


	3. An Itch

**A/N:** So here we have it, chapter 3. And Ta-DAH! Some SMUT! WOO! Go hot showers. And just to let everyone know, there will be seven chapters after this. I haven't written them yet, but trust me, there will.

So yes, anyway...

Big thank you to my **reviewers:RussiansNekojinlover, spirtfox **and **hugesandkisses1  
**

And my lovely **subscribers**: **neko-alchemist, ReussiansNeikojinLover, spirtfox, **and **acerbus321**

Also for my **favorite story suscribers**: **hugesandkisses1** and **Invader Phantom**

I love you all. x This one's for you. Hope you like! :)

* * *

**Chapter III - An Itch:  
**

A week after he had arrived, Toshiro was just as irritated as he had thought he would be. Kurosaki was just as annoying as he'd remembered, if not more so. His independence had made him more cocky than before, and he was even more arrogant, overbearing and _utterly fuckable?_, suggested Rangiku. Silently fuming, he ignored his treacherous brain and tried to focus on the book he was reading. It was called 'Artemis Fowl' and Kurosaki had thrown it at him and told him to read it. In an effort to be obliging, Toshiro had started the book, already prepared to dislike it because of the summary. But, to his surprise, he was thoroughly enjoying it –when his mind wasn't tripping off to god knows where- and had great sympathy for Artemis Fowl, seeing in the boy a kindred spirit. It was such a trial to constantly be underestimated.

However, Toshiro had the sneaking suspicion that this was not why Kurosaki had told him to read the book. It appeared that the marvellous Artemis was being made into a better person –albeit slowly. The young taichou sighed, taking in the pointed message and ignoring it. Kurosaki really was an idiot. He sighed again, and got up from his double bed, headed for the kitchen.

* * *

When he got there, he found his roommate was already there –and he appeared to be trying to cook.

'Kurosaki, what are you doing?', he asked, slightly worried.

'I'm cooking. It's lasagne.' Toshiro's eyes nearly dropped out of his head.

'But you can't cook! Stop, or you'll blow up the cooker or something!' Kurosaki just laughed.

'Toshiro, I may not be able to cook Japanese food, but I can do a mean Italian dish. Pasta, pizza, risotto –you name it, I can cook it.'

'It's Hitsugaya- Taichou', Toshiro said automatically. 'And if you can cook pasta, why can't you cook rice?'

'I don't know. I've been like that as long as I can remember. And I'm not going to call you Taichou. I'm not part of Seireitei, and you're younger than me.'

Toshiro glared at him.

'The hell I am', he said angrily. 'For fuck's sake, just cause I look fourteen or something, doesn't actually make me that age.'

'You swore', said Ichigo in surprise. Then he recovered. 'So if you're not young, how old are you? Twenty? Forty?'

'Three hundred and twenty eight', came the reply. Ichigo stared at him, his mouth falling open. Toshiro smirked. Then a timer went off, and the substitute shinigami seemed to regain the ability to think.

'I guess you are older than me', he said. 'But I bet you have never tasted lasagne as good as this.' The prodigy scoffed as he laid the kitchen table for two, the places facing each other. The lasagne **did** smell good though. Not that was going to say anything. Then his stomach rumbled, loudly.

Ichigo laughed merrily. 'It looks like your stomach has all the sense in your body.' Toshiro tried to scowl, but found himself smiling slightly, one corner of his mouth turned up.

'At last! A smile!', declared Ichigo happily. Toshiro instantly stopped smiling.

'It is not unheard for me to smile Kurosaki.' Then he relented, as Rangiku lectured him for being a mood killer. 'Although I will admit it was funny.' The orange haired teen – who had been looking a little cross- smiled.

'Ok Hitsugaya- kun. Grab a couple of plates, and I'll serve this up.' Toshiro did as he was told, a bit puzzled.

'Kurosaki, why did you call me Hitsugaya- kun?', he asked, frowning.

'Well, you obviously hate being called Toshiro, so I figured I'd better stop. There's no point making you angry all the time. Still, I wish I thought I could get away with Shiro-chan. You're cute enough to suit it.' The small taichou, who had been briefly thinking maybe Kurosaki wasn't so bad, revised that opinion at once.

'I am most definitely not **cute**', he said in disgust. 'Do I look like toy bunny to you?' Ichigo smiled to himself. _ That wasn't the cute I had in mind_, he thought.

'No, you don't. My apologies Hitsugaya, it was a joke in poor taste.' Toshiro inclined his head graciously, accepting the apology, but still fuming inside. Rather than trying to find something polite to say, he tucked into the lasagne eagerly. _Gods, this is AMAZING!_, he thought in surprise. _Kurosaki was telling the truth_.

'The lasagne isn't bad', he said non- commitally. A smirk plastered itself across Ichigo's features.

'It's the best you've ever had, isn't it?', he said happily. 'Go on, admit it.' Toshiro scowled furiously, hating that his expressionless face had been seen through. He could lie, but that would only make Kurosaki more convinced he was right, and would be insufferable for **days**. He sighed.

'Yes Kurosaki, it is the best lasagne I've ever had', he said in an exasperated tone. The other shinigami's smirk stretched even wider.

'I knew it!', he said, punching a fist into the air. He then went on to make several "Who's the man?" type comments, which his guest ignored.

After a while, Ichigo realised this, and stopped crowing, feeling a little stupid. Inwardly, he sighed. Toshiro was still being very reserved, despite the fact that he'd been there for a week. He remembered Rangiku's comment and almost groaned. _How long will it take for him to trust me?_, he wondered.

After dinner they sat down to watch some tv on Ichigo's 48" flatscreen, Toshiro channel hopping until he found an anime that looked promising, called Full Metal Alchemist.

Ichigo sighed irritatingly. Toshiro found himself frowning. Would he ever stop being so _utterly gorgeous and totally sexy?_, suggested Rangiku. _No, I was going to say-_

_Very sexy and ravishable? _Rangiku asked. _No. Actually, I was thinking that he was-_

_Physically perfect and really hot?_

_NO._

Then Byakuya appeared. 'Chire, Senbonzakura.' Matsumoto cowered. _At last_, thought the prodigy.

'What's the matter?', he asked Ichigo.

'I've seen this one before. Can't we watched something else?'

'No. I have not seen this episode before. And stop whining.' Ichigo's eyes bulged.

'I was **not** whining!', he said. 'I wasn't!'

'Yeah you were.'

'Shut up Shiro-chan.' A fist connected with the side of his face, making him see stars.

'I thought you said you weren't going to call me that', said Toshiro, his eyes fixed on the anime. Ichigo growled.

'Bite me', he said.

'No thanks', came the infuriating reply. The substitute shinigami's hands clenched into fists, and he stood up abruptly.

'I'm going for a shower.'

'Have fun', said the smaller man, his gaze still glued to the television. Sighing, Ichigo left the room and walked to the bathroom. He locked the doors and turned on the shower, slowly stripping off. Then he stepped into the shower, sighing in pleasure as the hot water cascaded down his back. _It's been a long week_, he thought._ Toshiro is so frickin uptight all the fucking time. It's enough to drive anyone mad. Still, at least he's loosening up a bit, like at dinner._ He smiled to himself. The loud rumbling of his guest's stomach had just been hilarious, and the expression on the Taichou's face had been too priceless for words.

He stood under the water, alone with his thoughts for a long time. He had just stepped out of the shower to get his shampoo when the door to Toshiro's room opened. _Oh shit, _he thought. _I must have not locked it properly._ But then it was too late, and Toshiro walked into the room to see him standing still in shock, giving the small man a full frontal view of one completely naked Kurosaki Ichigo.

They stared at each other, the Taichou's mouth slightly open as his eyes took in the sight before him. A crimson blush rose on his cheeks, and he absent mindedly licked his lips. Then he seemed to realise he was staring.

'Uh, sorry Kurosaki. I'll come back later!' Then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him. Ichigo stood like a statue for about thirty seconds, then he shook his head slowly, trying to clear the fog from it. He grabbed his shampoo and stepped back into the shower, on autopilot. _He saw me naked, and he __**stared**__. _His brain wasn't thinking straight, unable to leave the moment alone. _He stared, and then he __**licked his lips**__. Like he liked what he saw. But…he's not into guys…Or, at least, I don't __**think**__ he is. What if he is?_ His mind went over and over as his hand drifted slowly down his body to take hold of his semi- erect penis. Without really thinking about it, his hand began to move, the memory of Toshiro licking his lips playing on repeat in his head. He began to think of those lips –and that tongue- doing other things, that involved a lot more closeness, and a lot less clothes. His hand sped up as he though of the Taichou's mouth on his own, those delicate pink lips moving against his, the lithe tongue slipping inside to tangle with his own. He felt himself getting closer, and then an image of Toshiro's mouth around his erection, his tongue flicking across the head, popped into his thoughts, and that was all it took.

'Toshiro!', he said loudly, his come spurting on to his chest, and the shower wall. His orgasm rolled over him, and he lost himself in the pleasure, relishing the sensations.

Then he sat down on the floor and realised what he had done. _Oh Christ. What. The. FUCK?_

* * *

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya Toshiro was having a moment of crisis and called his fukutaichou.

'Rangiku?'

'Hai, Taichou? What's going on?', asked his concerned lieutenant.

'Something bad has happened. I need your help.'

'Define 'bad' Taichou.'

'As in shitIjustsawKurosakiIchigonakedandIlikedwhatIsaw bad.' A stunned silence came from the other end of the line.

'What's he look like? Is he toned? Is he **big**?', Rangiku said at last.

'Uh, well, he's, uh, kinda muscular but not overdone, and pretty tanned. And yes, he's big. I'd guess around eight or nine inches.' Rangiku squealed.

'I **knew** it! Yumichika **so** owes me money!'

'NO!', Toshiro roared. 'You **cannot** tell Yumichika that I saw Kurosaki naked and stared at his penis. I forbid it!'

'Jeeze Hitsugaya, I wouldn't be that stupid! I'll say I saw him.'

'Gods Matsumoto, that would cause all kinds of trouble. Just…just don't say anything. Please.'

'Ok Taichou', she said, the resignation clear in her voice. 'So…you said you liked what you saw…'

'He's perfect, Rangiku', Toshiro breathed. 'Absolutely **fucking** gorgeous, and he's not even gay.'

'Ahem, I hate to burst your bubble there Taichou, but you're wrong. He's not out and out gay, but he's bi, that's for sure.'

'What?! How do you know?'

'Well, he told me. And also, I walked in on him and Renji making out when they were still fairly sober. And it sure wasn't his zanpakuto in his robes.' Toshiro made a strangled noise. 'So you see, Hitsugaya, you're in with a chance.' The taichou rolled his eyes.

'Don't be stupid. I'm sure he dislikes me as much as I should dislike him.' His fukutaichou sighed.

'Whatever you say, Taichou', she said, the disbelief plain in her voice. 'Anyways, I'm making soup with Orihime-chan, so I'm gonna go if you're not having a breakdown, ok?'

'Yeah, ok. Thanks Rangiku.'

'No problem Taichou! Bye!' Then the phone went dead and Toshiro was left alone with his thoughts. And not liking them, he lay down on the sofa and watched some more anime.

* * *

Later on, Ichigo went back into the lounge with the full intention of apologising to his roommate, only to find him asleep on one of the couches. Smiling, he tucked the –still- small man under a blanket. He looked so good when he was sleeping.

Unable to resist, the substitute shinigami reached out and gently stroked the spiky white hair, which was unexpectedly silky.

'Night Shiro-chan', he said softly. A teal eye opened blearily.

'I heard that', Toshiro muttered blearily. Ichigo chuckled, and walked back to his room, only just hearing the whispered:

'Night, Ichigo.'

* * *

**A/N:** Reviwers get mentions and a say in what happens next. ;)


	4. Tolerable

**A/N:** Ta- DAH! We have the next chapter. And now we have **RAGE! **Mwhahaha! I am a cruel, evil bitch, but I simply couldn't resist. We have a teensy bit of swords and fighting, and some OOC-ness form the lovely Hitsugaya Toshiro. I hopes you don't mind. :)

**Reviwers: RussiansNekojinlover, Tai18, hugesandkisses1 **and** Invader Phantom  
**

**Subscribers: Time on my hands, Hitokiri Musei **and** uzura-chan**

**Favoriters: brothersmemorial **and** RussiansNekojinlover **

You're all **HAWT!**

Oh, and I just couldn't resist the idea of Matsumoto Rangiku, Agony Aunt. 'A cleavage to cry on.' /giggles stupidly/

* * *

**Chapter IV – Tolerable:**

The next day, Ichigo was confused. **Very **confused. So he called up someone he knew would understand.

'Rangiku?'

'Yes Ichigo?'

'I need your advice.' _Or a nice mental asylum_, he thought to himself.

'Okay Strawberry, shoot.' Scowling at the pet name, Ichigo thought carefully before speaking.

'Toshiro walked in on me in the shower yesterday, and he kinda stared and shithestaredatmeandlickedhislipsandit**really**turnedmeon and I don't know what to do…', he said weakly. 'I mean, he's a totally prick most of the time, but sometimes… he's just fucking gorgeous. And it's really hard because in general he's just tolerable, and I can't tell him cause he's not gay and he'd probably kill me if he knew that I was, you know, bi.' Rangiku giggled.

'Oh don't worry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just something I heard the other day came to mind. It seemed kinda appropriate.' She sighed, and thought she must have really offended some powerful god to end up with a life like this. 'Well, I think you should just chill out about the whole thing. You're obviously really worked up, and that's probably not helping. If I were you, I'd just leave things as they are. Knowing Taichou, if you mention it, he'll probably get all worked up and stressy and then it will take him **ages** to relax around you.' Ichigo turned her words over in his mind.

'I don't want that to happen.' He sighed too, so wound up over the incident that his shoulders were getting stiff. He heard a small noise, and twitched slightly. Jeeze, he was **really** over reacting. 'I just wish he wasn't so frickin' uptight all the time. He's a bad as Kuchiki fuckin' Byakuya. It's like trying to get through to a bloody marble statue.' He heard a thump and whirled around to see Toshiro standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and hurt, a mug of tea lying on its side on the floor, soaking into the carpet. 'Shit Rangiku, I gotta go.' He heard a groan from the other end of the line.

'He's there isn't he?', she asked exasperatedly.

'Yep. And he looks pretty upset.' She sighed heavily.

'You'd better go Ichigo. This will take you **ages** to fix. My Taichou doesn't have the most powerful ice zanpakuto for nothing. He's as frosty as an icicle sometimes. I'll call late, ok?'

'Sure. Later.' Ichigo put the phone down, and got up, walking towards Toshiro, who was still standing in the doorway. 'Toshiro, it wasn't what you thought it was.' A scowl crossed the white-haired man's face, although his eyes showed deep hurt.

'It's Hitsugaya-Taichou to you!', he snapped angrily. Ichigo frowned, and then spoke crossly.

'See this is **exactly ** what I was talking about. One small thing upsets you and it's back to square one with the STUPID "Hitsugaya- Taichou" crap! I'm sorry that you overheard what you did, but you shouldn't take it so frickin' personally. You're as touchy as Yumichika!' As soon as the words left his mouth, Ichigo realised he'd made a mistake. _Oh shit_, he thought. _Now I'm really fucked_. A sudden image of him and the man in front of him lying in a tangle of naked, sweaty limbs crossed his mind unbidden. _This is __**really**__ not the time, _he told his subconscious.

Toshiro looked **absolutely ****livid**. He began to speak, spitting out the words as if they were poison.

'Well I'm sorry that I'm not the open, honest, caring person that you are Kurosaki, but some of us have had a slightly harder life than others. And trust me, a life like mine doesn't exactly make you inclined to expose yourself to people within days of spending time with them. I've seen the people I care about hurt in front of my eyes, and I've been unable to help them. That **hurts**. But I guess a shallow fool like you wouldn't understand such depth of emotion.' Now it was Ichigo's turn to be furious.

'You know NOTHING about the depth of emotion I've experienced. I watched my mother DIE IN FRONT OF MY EYES, and I was **powerless!** I had to let Byakuya take Rukia away while I lay bleeding on the ground, and I was nearly unable to stop my family from getting turned into Hollows! My life has been every bit as hard as yours, Toshiro, but at least I don't whine about it like you do! I'm sorry that I chose a different path, and decided on a different life, and you weren't CAPABLE of doing the same!', he roared at the small captain.

'How **DARE ** you question my ability to act like a normal person?!', Toshiro shouted. 'Just because I am a private person who isn't ready to trust every Tom, Dick or Harry who crosses his path, doesn't mean I can't cope with the events in my life! I simply find it easier to be mistrusting than have to deal with betrayal! Isn't that a fairly **normal** thing to do?!'

'Well I guess you would know about **normal**, being the three hundred and twenty eight year old Soul Reaper! And for Christ's sake Toshiro, you really are a **child** prodigy, aren't you? Why don't you just GROW UP and deal with your problems like a **man**, instead of whimpering like a little girl and hiding behind someone else's skirts.' Inwardly, he was kicking himself from The North Pole to the South, and back again. _What am I DOING?_, he thought stupidly.

Toshiro actually **growled, ** and the temperature of Ichigo's room dropped noticeably.

'This has gone beyond words Kurosaki. Get your zanpakuto. We're going to settle this.' Ichigo nodded curtly, although his brain was screaming at him to fall on to his knees and sob into the Captain's yakuta until he was forgiven. But his body, and the small, stupid, angry part of his mind were taking over, and so he found himself in the home gym with Zangetsu in his hand, facing off a **very** pissed off Toshiro, who had Hyorinmaru with him.

Ichigo felt his anger overtake him, and with a roar, he unsheathed his zanpakuto, charging towards the Tenth Division Captain. Who was…not there…

A sixth sense made him turn around, and just in time, he brought Zangetsu up to meet his opponent's sword, stopping a deadly blow. The two angry young men fought furiously, fighting brutally, trying to inflict wounds at every possible opportunity. Their swords clashed loudly, their shikai exploding over each other, their reiatsu crushingly powerful, stretching the walls of the gym slightly.

They had their swords locked, straining against each other, when suddenly, the reiatsu of other people filled the apartment. Rangiku, Orihime, Chad, Ikkaku and Renji burst into the gym, taking in the scene before them in horror.

Within seconds, Chad had stepped between them, his armoured arm wrenching their swords from them, his fist curled tightly around the crossed blades. Then Ikkaku and Renji seized Ichigo and dragged him out of the room, leaving Rangiku and Orihime to reason with Hitsugaya.

* * *

Back in his room, with Ikkaku gone to find a cloth for the damp spot on the carpet left by the tea –Yumichika's influence was clear- Ichigo sat on his bed, shaking slightly as the adrenaline left his system. Renji sat cowboy style on his desk chair, watching him intently.

'Whaddya get into a fight with him for?', he asked. Ichigo shook his head, feeling a little stupid.

'He overheard me telling Matsumoto that he was as uptight as Byakuya and he got pissed off. And then I got pissed off. And…well, you saw what was happening. Shit Renji, he just drives me **mad**.' To his surprise, Renji chuckled.

'Ya like him, right?'

'Wha- what?! How d'you know that? Did Rangiku tell you?', Ichigo said worriedly, not even trying to deny it. Renji shook his head.

'Nah, I can just tell. That's how it was with me and Byakuya for a while. I guess I was just to dense to see **why** he was driving me mad.' He smirked. 'And now he drives me mad for a **totally** different reason.' Ichigo pulled a face.

'Gee, thanks for sharing Renji. I sure as hell wanted to know about your sex life with Kuchiki-Taichou. Ah shit!', he said, realising something. Seeing the look on his friend's face, he explained. 'I'll bet you anything he knows about you two. I've just called him uptight **and** gay. Argh! He's gonna hate me **so** much!' Renji chuckled again.

'Dude, he won't like ya calling him frosty, but he's not gonna mind the gay bit. He's a man's man, that's for sure. Hell, he was even with Byakuya for a bit at one point, although that was a while ago.' The substitute shinigami stared at him in shock.

'**He** was with Byakuya? **Your **Byakuya?', he asked stupidly. The redhead nodded, a slight smile on his face.

'Kinda hard ta believe, ne? But it's true. I guess their coldness suited each other.' They shared a laugh, and Ichigo got off the bed.

'I should go apologise', he said, ruffling his hair ruefully. 'I was pretty harsh to him.' Renji nodded. He stood up too.

'One thing before ya go Ichigo.' He grabbed his friend and kissed him passionately, their tongues intertwining and dancing together. At last, breathless, they parted.

'Mmm, Toshiro', Ichigo mumbled absent mindedly, his eyes still closed. Renji burst out laughing.

'You really do like him!', he exclaimed. His friend scowled, and punched him. 'C'mon Strawberry, let's go.'

'Yeah whatever, Pineapple.' The two young men sauntered out of the room and bumped into Ikkaku who had come back with the wet cloth. They swaggered on back to the gym, bantering easily, and Ichigo was feeling much better by the time they got there. He walked into the room, and everyone looked at him, before removing the swords and leaving him alone with Toshiro.

He walked over to the young captain, who was leant against a wall, arms folded, looking bored.

'I'm sorry', he said sincerely. 'I was out of order.'

Toshiro looked at him, still angry, but realising it wasn't worth holding on to.

'I'm sorry too Kurosaki. I shouldn't have lost my temper. But your words hurt.' Ichigo stared at him in shock, then did something unexpected – he hugged him.

Toshiro inhaled sharply, feeling strange. Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around Ichigo, lying his head against his chest, listening to the strong –and peculiarly fast- heart beat. He could feel Kurosaki's hot breath ghosting against neck, and it sent shivers down his spine. Surreptitiously, he breathed in. The substitute shinigami smelled **good**, like cinnamon and other spices. He smiled to himself. Perhaps living with Kurosaki –_Ichigo_, he thought to himself- wouldn't be so bad. And if the worst came to the worst, at least it would be tolerable.

* * *

**A/N:** SOOOOOO? I was up uber later (try 1.30am) writing this cause it was the only time I had free yesterday. A review for a pathetically tired author?


	5. Part of the Furniture

**A/N:** So I got lucky and had some time to write this. It's not as long as the others, but I promise VI will be loooong. Anyways, here come the thanks yous:

**Reviewers: RussiansNekojinlover, Tai18, Invader Phantom, indigoia, Time on my hands, neko-alchemist, missanimeuchiha, snowyangel-13, Mithras151, Appelmeisje, aisu-sakura, spirtfox, anna'azure, Dark-Angels-calling, **and** my renji-kun.**

**Subcribers: Yamiace1321, indigoia, ShuLynn13, Muireann Whitewave, Mithras151, soulofcerberus, crimsonphoenix13, blupixi, happygirl24, gakusei87, leaf-blade, aisu-sakura, anna'azure, dark.lights, Dark-Angels-calling, **and **my renji-kun.**

**Favouriters: LadeeBliss, pinemarten, BLEACHEDmarshmellow, snowyangel-13, soulofcerberus, loveless35, anna'azure, **and** dark.lights.**

I love you all. Without your support, I would not be writing this fic. Anyways, hope you like! More SMUT ahoy!

* * *

**Chapter V- Part of the Furniture:**

It was warm in Ichigo's arms, and Toshiro felt safer there than anywhere else he'd ever been. He suddenly had the urge to grip tighter and never let go, staying in the strong grip of Kurosaki, his head buried in the taller man's shoulder, his nose inhaling the substitute shinigami's scent –spicy, manly and **heaven**. It was a wonderful thing, a feeling like this...

Then the other shinigami burst into the room.

'Ahem', said Renji. 'We came to see if ya were killing each other yet.'

And, as suddenly as he'd been embraced, he was let go, and Kurosaki was about two feet away from him.

'But you seem to be ok, so we'll, just, uh, go', said Orihime. 'In fact, you seem to be getting along really well...' Ichigo caught Toshiro's eye, and they both blushed.

'No, uh, you all came over here at such short notice, we should treat you to lunch or something', Ichigo said red- facedly. He looked at Toshiro for confirmation, who nodded.

'Well if you're sure...' said Matsumoto, looking anxiously at her taichou. He blushed again, then seemed to get under control. He straightened, his chin going up, the room seemingly becoming colder by a couple of degrees.

'It sounds great. We'll cook you something.' The others looked at each other, then nodded.

'Ok', said Rangiku. 'Let's get started. We'll go on through to the living room.' Everyone began to file out of the room, Toshiro staying where he was.

'Oy, Kurosaki!' he managed to say. Ichigo turned to look at him.

'Yeah?'

'Can I have a word?' Ichigo nodded. Once everyone was gone, Toshiro said: 'Look, I know I must drive you crazy sometimes, but it's probably best if we're friends for now.' Ichigo looked at him strangely, then shrugged.

'Sure. Whatever Toshiro.' And for once, he wasn't corrected.

* * *

Lunch was a grand mishmash of food, with Ichigo's amazing lasagne, Toshiro's noodles and sushi, and Rangiku and Orihime's strange food mixture –as far as anyone could tell, it mainly consisted of bean paste. Everyone laughed and joked, enjoying the food and the wine –yes, Toshiro was shocked to discover that Ichigo drank **wine. **Then, once they were done, Renji volunteered to go and get ice cream, and ended up coming back with five different flavours to keep everyone happy. The friends took pleasure in each other's company, and the afternoon hours sped away. As evening drew near, everyone else was invited, and it ended up as a massive party. The whole group brought or made food, and the alcohol flowed, much to Uryuu's disappointment- everyone knew he was a complete lightweight- and it was great. For most people.

Toshiro was in agonies as Rangiku pinned him with her famous stare, and managed to get him on his own in a corner.

'Well?' she demanded. He looked desperately for an escape route.

'Well what?' he said, still searching for an exit. But he was stuck and they both knew it.

'Tell me' she said, more gently.

'I'm just part of the furniture. There's nothing to tell', he said with a sigh. She fixed him with a glare. 'What? There isn't!'

'What about earlier, with the hugging?'

'Oh I don't know. It just happened...'

'And this fits in **how** exactly with the "fucking perfect"?' Toshiro glared at her. Just then, Renji said loudly:

'Anyone up for clubbing?' Toshiro leapt up.

'Sounds good', said Ichigo –**Kurosaki- **before he could open his mouth. The orange- haired shinigami winked at him, and he found himself grinning instinctively. Then he caught Rangiku looking at him, and he automatically went a little frosty. He looked up to see Ichigo watching him with a super-massive grin on his face. Inside, he melted, just a little.

But then they all swept out of the door, and his feelings just went to adrenaline rush and excitement. He **loved** clubbing, although only Matsumoto seemed to know. Sometimes, the Stuffy Taichou image was really not so good. Still, that could not dampen his feelings now. He was going clubbing, with his friends, and nothing was going to stop him from having fun.

* * *

They went to a favourite of the Karakura town gang's, a little place tucked away in the backstreets. Or at least, it **looked** small. Inside, it was HUGE.

'It's just like the Tardis', quipped Ichigo. Everyone looked at him. 'Oh God, you really all should watch Dr.Who sometime. The British really do invent some awesome things.' Toshiro rolled his eyes and grabbed Rangiku's hand.

'Dance with me?', he asked, loving the look of shock on everybody's faces. She nodded with a giggle, and they disappeared into the crowd, the bassline vibrating through his bones in a sinfully delicious way. Their bodies moved in harmony, Toshiro thanking his lucky stars for the growth spurt he had last time he was in Karakura. It made dancing **so** much easier.

He danced with Matsumoto until the end of the track, and then he began to work his way around the group, enjoying a song with everyone, the look on their faces when they realised he could dance priceless. But then he had danced with everyone except for Ichigo, and suddenly the music was just a little too loud, and the room was just a little too hot. Unable to see the man in question, he made a break for it.

He headed for the bar, only to find Ichigo there. Before he knew what was happening, the substitute shinigami had grabbed his hand and dragged him back on to the floor.

And then they were there, and they were moving, and _**god**__, Ichigo's sex on legs_, he thought. _He moves like there's nothing else in the world but him, the song, and you. It's so __**intense**_. He felt a blush creeping up his neck, and was thankful it was too dark to see properly. Their bodies moved together, synchronising, harmonising. The world disappeared except for him and Ichigo, and then they were close, and then closer and then there was no distance at all, and they were kissing, their lips moving as smoothly as their bodies. It was heaven, it was bliss and when Ichigo slipped his tongue into Toshiro's mouth he couldn't help but moan. Then the song ended, and the moment shattered into a thousand pieces, fading like the evening light.

Suddenly, everyone was looking at them in amazement and they sprang apart like they had been burnt. Toshiro caught Rukia's hurt gaze and he couldn't take it any more, not with everyone staring at them like some kind of freak show or exhibition. He dashed out of the club, pushing and shoving people out of the way. He ran and ran, not knowing where he was going or caring either. He just had to get **out**.

He stumbled, the tears in his eyes blurring his vision. _How could I be so stupid?_, he thought angrily. _I exposed myself, made myself vulnerable in front of everyone. Why couldn't I have done this at home? _

_Because_, said Rangiku_, you would never have let yourself go at home. _

_Shut up. _She sighed and he could almost hear her walking away. He stopped, and realised he had no idea where he was.

_I'm an idiot_, he thought. _I ran off into a town I don't know, without telling anyone where I was going and without Hyorinmaru._ He sighed, and sat down, slumped against a wall. The tears streamed down his face as he remembered the way his friends had looked at him. To be so exposed, in front of so many people... it was a strange, frightening thing for the usually stoic captain.

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd been sat there, but he was cold, and he wanted to go home.

And then Ichigo walked into the street.

He could have sung –except he never, ever, sung- for joy. And the feeling when Icihgo seized him and crushed him to his chest was incomparable to anything he had ever felt. It was an exquisite torture until their lip met and hungrily they kissed, exploring all the territory they'd missed before. It was breathless and rough, and yet it was perfection. When Ichigo broke away, Toshiro moaned slightly at the loss of contact.

'C'mon. Let's go home', the substitute shinigami said huskily. Toshiro nodded eagerly, and followed Ichigo as he flash stepped across Karakura Town.

* * *

They were home in a matter of minutes, and Ichigo hastily opened the door, and then shut it clumsily behind him. Then he pinned Toshiro to the wall, and they kissed again, more slowly, passionately. They moved to the sofa and it was all heat, and lust and actions. Their mouths moved as if they were to be separated forever in a few minutes, and their bodies ground together, the movement sending all Toshiro's blood to his groin. He rubbed against Ichigo enthusiastically, and felt a familiar hardness. He groaned into the orange- haired man's mouth, and it was like he'd flicked a switch.

Ichigo sat up and wriggled out from under Toshiro.

'We shouldn't be doing this', he said unsurely. 'We're drunk.' The small taichou felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He got up, and walked out of the lounge.

'I'm going to my bed', he said, heavily emphasising the 'my'. 'Night Kurosaki.'

'Night...Toshiro...'

* * *

Later that night, as Toshiro lay in bed in the dark, his door to the bathroom open a crack, he heard a moan over the sound of the shower, and pricked up his ears.

The moans continued, and with a blush he realised what Ichigo must be doing. He listened even more intently, rubbing his own hardening member. The groans got louder, and he sped up, knowing he was close.

'Uhhh Toshiro!', Ichigo shouted, and Toshiro came hearing that, his whispered:

'Ichigo...' barely audible.

_The hell I'm just part of the furniture_, he thought, his breath coming in fevered gasps.

* * *

Ichigo walked out of the bathroom in his pyjama bottoms, and noticed that Toshiro's door to the bathroom was slightly ajar. He chuckled to himself, thinking: _Oh Shiro-chan..._

* * *

**A/N:** R&R for a poor writer who's been writing this while childminding? (No one can say I don't love you guys!)

* * *


	6. Mildly Diverting

**A/N:** AHHHHH I'm SO sorry for not updating sooner. It's all my stupid brother's fault. I had this saved on his laptop, because my parents had confiscated mine. SO I saved it to my email, but that didn't work, and he wouldn't let me get it from his laptop. Hence the absolutely enormous wait for Chapter VI.

**Reviewers: dark.lights, hugesandkisses1, soulofcerberus, musicallady1, ShrimpEy, LucaLight **and** missanimeuchiha**

**Subscribers: archara2shoot, musicallady1, lightangel123, Rusty4Coke, LucaLight, Silvercrystalgoddess **and** cutsycat**

**Favouriters: archara2shoot, LucaLight **and** SasunaruHentaigirl**

This chapter is for everyone who wanted a little more action (although no lemons for a while). We have ta-dah KISSING. Woo!

But mainly it's for my reviewers, who are the second biggest reason I'm writing. The first being that my head would pop if I didn't get rid of some of these ideas.

* * *

**Mildly Diverting:**

Days passed, and the two stubborn shinigami both tried to ignore their feelings, instead going about their business as usual. Ichigo continued writing his novel and drinking with his friends, while Toshiro read and read and read. They withdrew from each other slightly, as if afraid that one moment of closeness might be the spark to the powder keg.

The other shinigami noticed this, but no one made any comments, seeing the glint in Ichigo's eyes, and the frosty aura surrounding Toshiro. Rangiku sighed to herself, turning to her cooking and spending time with Orihime. She had not seen her in so long, and she now had problems of her own to attend to. So, rather than risk Toshiro's wrath for what might be a totally gossip- devoid conversation, she took her attention elsewhere.

Weeks began to slip by, and it is possible that nothing would have changed the situation between the two housemates. Time could have passed and everything could have stayed the same, Toshiro and Ichigo still in the same position when the small taichou left. But then something happened...

* * *

It was a little more than three months after the Soul Society group had arrived, and it was getting close to Christmas. The day had been overcast and grey, and as the afternoon wore on, snow began to fall. People left the streets for their homes, leaving only children and young adults outside, pelting each other with snow.

Ichigo had invited everyone for a massive snowball fight in the huge gardens surrounding his apartment building. At 4.30pm, they all gathered and separated into teams, Ichigo captaining one (Orihime, Rukia, Yuzu, Renji, Hisagi, Ikkaku and Chad), and Toshiro the other (Rangiku, Tatsuki, Yumichika, Karin, Ishida, Yoruichi and Urahara). The atmosphere was filled with tension –lots of it of the sexual nature- and everyone was keen to get started.

'You're going DOWN!' shouted Hisagi, smirking. Then Yumichika grinned an unnaturally feline grin, his voice light and pleasant, with steely undertones.

'Are you sure about that, honey?' Shuuhei blanched, and muttered something unintelligible. Yumichika caught Yoruichi's eye, and they both laughed. The enemy looked scared.

'Right!' said Ichigo loudly. 'So the rules are like this: I want to wr-' A snowball hit him directly on the nose. He coughed and spluttered, and had to be patted heartily on the back by Rukia. Finally, he spoke.

'Who threw that?!' he almost screamed. The other team –Toshiro's Titans- looked at him blankly. All except for a white- haired man of around 5' 8", who looked at him mischievously, unable to hide a grin. 'Why you!' shouted Ichigo, and picked up a snowball, hurling it at his attacker with a cry.

'Ichigo's Invincibles!' roared his team, and the snowballs flew thick and fast, shrieks and shouts filling the air. Laughter rose into the sky as the friends fought the ultimate battle for supremacy. It was out and out war.

At least, it was for the first twenty minutes or so. After that, it degenerated into a free- for- all, with everyone attacking whomsoever they chose. Yoruichi chased after a laughing Urahara (hatless, for once); Orihime and Matsumoto rolled in the snow with each other, giggling and seemingly unaware of the drooling Ikkaku and Chad; Yumichika and Shuuhei were making snow angels and making out; Rukia, Karin, Yuzu and Ishida were having a small battle together; Renji and Tatsuki were having a battle to the death, laughing all the while; and Ichigo and Toshiro were...

Running after each other, snowballs in hand.

'You're so dead Kurosaki!' shouted Toshiro, chasing his roommate, his cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkling.

'Not likely, Shorty,' came the reply. Then a huge ball of snow sprung up from in front of him and hit him in the face. He tripped and fell, his eyes wide in surprise. He turned over, and suddenly he was pinned to the ground by a slender man with white hair, who was laughing merrily.

'It seems that you've forgotten I'm in my element here Ichigo!' he chuckled. Ichigo raised a brow at him.

'Yeah, but I haven't forgotten how ticklish you are!' said the substitute shinigami, and flipped him captor on to his back, straddling his thighs and tickling his sides mercilessly. His prisoner laughed helplessly, his cheeks going red, his breath hitching. Then Toshiro punched Ichigo in the stomach, and once again their positions were reversed, and Toshiro was in control. They continued to roll over and over, unwilling to acknowledge how good the closeness felt. Then they hit a tree root, and they were stuck.

They lay together, breath coming in pants, faces close together. And suddenly, a snowball hit Toshiro in the back, and he fell forwards, his lip meeting Ichigo's. And he remembered all the reasons why he'd loved kissing Ichigo so much. **This** was living. _I could do this forever_, said Rangiku.

* * *

Ichigo revelled in the lip lock, and when Toshiro broke for breath, he took advantage of the open mouth, and slipped his tongue into it, unable to hold back a moan. _God, why didn't I do this sooner? I should never have let him go... _ And so involved was he in the kiss, he didn't notice a watching, giggling Yoruichi and Urahara, who soon engaged in a little lip action of their own.

* * *

A tall figure with long black hair watched from the rooftop, a slight smile on his mouth as he watched the scenes below him. His eyes flickered over the many figures, finally settling on a person with bright red hair and tattoos. He tugged slightly at his gloves, unbuttoned his navy coat to reveal the sea blue jumper moulding itself over his toned stomach, and shunpo'd down to his boyfriend.

'Hi Renji,' he said shyly, seeing everyone's gaze –well everyone who wasn't **otherwise engaged**- fixed on him.

'Byakuya!' Renji shouted joyfully, and seized him, kissing him passionately, his friends watching in shock. Byakuya was going to protest, and then he thought:_ Fuck that, they're going to have to know sometime. And I want to be able to kiss my lover in public._ And another –slightly larger- part of his brain was thinking:_ I wish he'd just fuck me into the ground right now..._ He broke away, breathless and happy, slipping his gloved hand quickly into Renji's, who looked at him and smiled radiantly, 

making his heart clench painfully. _Life is good_. Then he spotted the reason he had come to Karakura lying on top of one Kurosaki Ichigo, sticking his tongue down the other's throat. He detached himself from Renji with a look, and walked over to the men.

'Ahem.' Toshiro leapt up, his face as crimson as Renji's hair. Ichigo just stared at him gormlessly, and then shot off towards everyone else.

'Byakuya, what brings you here?' asked Toshiro. As one of Byakuya's few friends, he was one of the select group of people who were allowed to call the Kuchiki heir by his first name.

'I have news for you, from Yamamoto- sama,' said the pale captain. 'He wants you to know that your behaviour towards Kurosaki Ichigo was unacceptable, and that the incident is being regarded very seriously. He said to tell you that hostility towards Ichigo could cause him to change sides, which we cannot allow to happen. However, as you two seem to be getting along just fine now, I'll report that it's all been sorted out and there is no need to call you back.' Toshiro gaped at him for a moment, and then found his voice.

'Thank you Byakuya. I am very grateful to you. Now tell me, are you here for long?'

'A few nights.' Toshiro smiled inwardly. Reni wouldn't be getting out of bed any time soon.

'You must join us. Everyone is coming back to Ichigo's flat for the evening. I would appreciate your company, and I'm certain Renji would too.'

'What will Ichigo say?' Toshiro pondered the question for a minute before replying.

'I'm sure he won't mind. The more, the merrier!' Byakuya nodded, a smile gracing his beautiful face.

'I'd like that.' Toshiro nodded in return, and they wandered to where the rest of the group had assembled.

* * *

After Yuzu and Karin had been picked up by Isshin, the party really kicked off. The alcohol flowed freely, and everyone became mellow, not seeming to care that the frosty Kuchiki Byakuya was joining them. Then again, this might have had something to do with the unmistakable expression of love on Renji's face. They sat in a corner with each other, in a tangle of limbs and goofy smiles, obviously lost to the world as they whispered in each other's ears.

Toshiro watched them, and felt a little lonely. Byakuya caught his eye, and whispered something to Renji, who looked at Toshiro, who instantly blushed. Then he saw the wicked grin on the redhead's face, and he was worried. Very worried. So he wandered off to find Rangiku, only to see that she was busy with Orihime. _I'm amazed they can get close enough to each other to make out like that..._ Toshiro thought in an absent minded fashion, and walked into the kitchen to get himself a drink.

What he actually got was something quite different...

Renji was in the kitchen finding an empty bottle when Hitsugaya walked in looking a little lost. He grinned a wolf's grin –all toothy and predatory- and seized the captain by the arm, dragging him into the living room.

'Renji, what the-?' he asked stupidly.

'Come on Toshiro- kun, we're all going to play spin the bottle!' Renji said joyfully, grinning at Byakuya, who was sat on the sofa.

'Spin the bottle?' queried Rangiku eagerly. 'Yay! Come on Hime, this will be great!' She took the girl's hand, and giggling they sat down in the centre of the room with Renji and the fuming Toshiro. Everyone else sat down in the circle, cheerfully tipsy or halfway pissed. Then Renji spoke.

'Right everyone, here are the rules: 1) You can't do two truths in a row. If you do, you'll get a really bad forfeit. 2) No one but me is allowed to do anything other than kiss Byakuya. Got it?' Hisagi and Ikkaku sniggered, and there was a general assent and nodding of heads.

'Right, let's begin!' said Renji, and spun the bottle.

* * *

Half an hour later, all sorts of craziness had happened. Matsumoto had been forced to confess her feelings for Orihime; Orihime had been "forced" to make out with Matsumoto; Chad and Ikkaku had very unwillingly pecked each other on the lips; Hisagi had proposed to Yumichika (who accepted); Renji had made out with just about everyone (except Chad and Ikkaku) and had let down his hair; Ichigo had told everyone about the crush he had had on Rukia, and then officially explained to everyone about his bi-sexuality; Ishida had confessed that he enjoyed bondage; Rukia had "unwillingly" made out with Tatsuki; Toshiro had confessed about his love of clubbing (well he was **quite** drunk) and had kissed Rangiku, which everyone had agreed was just **weird** and should never be repeated; and Byakuya had actually told them about his previous partners (which made Toshiro blush and Renji scowl). Then Renji spun the bottle again, and it landed on Ichigo. An evil glint came into his eye.

'Forfeit', the substitute shinigami mumbled unhappily. _I knew picking truth last turn was a bad idea_, he thought to himself.

'I have the perfect dare for ya Ichigo' said a delighted Reni, grinning like a demon. 'You gotta make out with Toshiro, with tongues!' Ichigo's jaw dropped, and a sort of 'Wha?' look came over his face. Everyone else cheered, and he blushed, looking at Toshiro who shrugged indifferently, although his heart was racing.

'Oh my god get on with it!' said Yumichika. 'All this UST is bad for my reiatsu. It's so not beautiful.' The others looked at him blankly. He sighed. 'You're all so ignorant. UST means unresolved sexual tension.' Matsumoto and Orihime broke into fits of giggles, and Tatsuki and Rukia soon joined them. Hisagi rolled his eyes.

'Will the pair of you just make out? Some of us are getting old here!' Toshiro blushed this time, and stood up, walking to meet Ichigo, who was standing in the centre of the circle. He put his arms around the taller man's shoulders, and looked up into his deep amber eyes. He saw desire, and felt his knees melt into mush. Then Ichigo leaned down and sealed Toshiro's lips with his own. It was just so **right**, and suddenly, this wasn't enough, and Ichigo wanted more and he could feel from the passion in the kiss he was not alone. Then someone 'ahem-d' and he broke away crossly.

'God Renji, you are **such** a mood killer.' Renji chuckled.

'Whatever Ichigo. Now try to keep your hands off Toshiro for two minutes and spin the bottle.' Ichigo blushed and sat down, his eyes flickering to Toshiro who smiled at him. The orange- haired man felt his penis harden slightly in his jeans and almost groaned. He spun the bottle, and it landed on...Toshiro, who said:

'Truth.' _Oh for God's sake! _, he thought crossly. _Why can't we just fuck each other into the ground right here?_ He opened his mouth to speak, but then Rukia cut in.

'So Toshiro, what do you think of Ichigo?' she asked, grinning wickedly. Toshiro appeared to think for a minute, then smiled in a feline manner.

'I guess he's **mildly** diverting' he said, his eyes telling the taller man a tale of lust and unsatisfied desires.


	7. An Observational Study

**A/N:** At last! A lemon! Admittedly, a small one, but probably enough to keep the raging fangirls at bay. I've been waiting to post this for **days** but due to my brother, I haven't been able to. (See Chapter VI for full explanation.)

Enjoy! And review if you want more. :)

* * *

**An Observational Study**

The party went on into the early hours of the morning, only ending when everyone fell asleep -or unconscious. Ichigo made sure no one was in immediate danger of dying, and then stumbled off to bed. He wandered into his room, his vision a little blurry. _Just how much did I have to drink?_, he wondered. He didn't remember much after his makeout session with Toshiro, as in order to stop himself from ripping of the Tenth Division Captain's clothes then and there, he had consumed copious quantities of alcohol. _I am __**so**__ gonna feel like shit in the morning_, he thought blearily, (not realising that it **was** the morning) before somehow managing to pull off his shirt and jeans. Then he clambered into bed, snuggling under the covers. They smelt a little different to normal, but in a good way. _Kinda fresh, like the sea or something_, he mused. He cuddled up to the warm body beside him, throwing an arm over the slim waist and burying his head in the silky- smooth white hair. _Smells sorta like the bed_, he thought hazily. _But better. And nice and cool too. _Whatever he thought after that was lost, as he fell further and further into unconsciousness.

* * *

Several hours later, at around 11am, Hitsugaya Toshiro woke up. And yelped. Loudly.

'Wass goin on?', a sleepy Kurosaki Ichigo mumbled, opening his eyes sleepily and blinking a bit at the man staring at him in shock. 'Whaddya doin in my bed Toshiro?' The captain choked a little before replying.

'What am **I** doing in **your** bed? I don't think so. What are **you** doing in **my **bed is more like it? And why are you only in your boxers?' Ichigo sat up, groaned and clutched his head.

'Uhhh, I have one **hell** of a hangover. I am never drinking Rangiku's punch again.' Toshiro glared at him. 'I dunno why I'm in your bed. I guess I must have thought it was my room. I was **pretty** hammered.' He thought for a moment. 'Oh yeah, I remember I thought it smelt kinda different. Really nice though.' Then he realised what he'd just said and blushed, unable to meet Toshiro's eye.

The taichou smirked, then blanched.

'You had your arm around me! We didn't...y'know...did we?'

'Umm I don't think so. I dunno. Do you feel kinda sore?' Toshiro shook his head, then punched Ichigo in the arm.

'Ow! What was that for?!', the orange- haired teen asked exasperatedly.

'For thinking you'd be seme!', said a scowling Toshiro. Ichigo glared, then smirked.

'I so would. I mean, come on. I'm clearly more dominant.' He got another punch for his troubles.

'You **so** would not. You pretty much **scream** uke.' Toshiro's mind wandered a little, to his annoyance.

'My ass', Ichigo said, then smacked his forehead when he saw the other man's massive grin.

'It would be. Now little uke, get out of my bed and let me get dressed.' For the second time that day, Toshiro yelped. Ichigo had him pinned to the bed and smothered his protests in seconds, kissing him passionately. And although he didn't know at what point in time they'd decided that they were going to be together, he knew that the decision had been made, and he was glad.

So then he responded eagerly to his lover's attentions, and explored Ichigo's mouth heatedly with his tongue. He felt his penis start to harden, and rubbed against the taller man, moaning slightly. Then he remembered that his room was right next to the bathroom, and they had a lot of really hungover people in their flat -_Their?-_ at the moment. Which was kind of a mood killer.

Sighing, he pulled away from the tall teen, who looked at him in askance.

'I don't want us being overheard...or interrupted', he explained. Ichigo nodded, then stumbled out of bed.

'Ugh!', he mumbled, then headed for the bathroom. Toshiro heard him throwing up noisily, and decided that waiting was a **good** idea at the moment.

* * *

After getting dressed, Toshiro wandered into the living room, only to see a whole bunch of either sleepy, or asleep people. He smirked at the scene in front of him. Chad and Ikkaku had fallen asleep on top of each other (he really wanted to be there when the two closet homophobes woke up); Tatsuki and Rukia were curled up under a blanket on the sofa chatting quietly; Yoruichi and Urahara were on a different sofa making out and play fighting; Inoue and his fukutaichou were on the big sofa together, embracing each other and fast asleep; Ishida was sitting on a cushion on the floor, reading a large book about embroidery; and Renji and Byakuya were...not there. He hurried to Ichigo's bedroom and was about to go in when he heard moaning and Renji gasping Byakuya's name. Blushing, he went to his own room, only to find a decidedly pale Ichigo (who had found a t-shirt from somewhere) sitting on his bed.

'I walked in on them going at it', he said in a hollow voice. 'I think I'm scarred for life.' Toshiro chuckled and hugged him quickly, startling himself. Ichigo was obviously too sick or too tired to notice, as he just placed his arms around the white-haired man and held him gently, burying his head in the crook of Toshiro's neck with a sigh.

'You smell really good', he mumbled, blushing furiously. Toshiro smiled happily to himself.

'I would return the compliment, but you could do with a shower, Strawberry.' Ichigo moved back to look him in the eye, and wrinkled his nose wryly.

'Care to join me?', he asked playfully. Toshiro thought for a moment.

'Ok.' Ichigo stared at him, plainly shocked. 'I-I-I m-mean, if that's o-o-ok with y-y-you.' Inwardly, he cursed himself for stuttering and not just passing his remark off as a joke.

'I'd like that', Ichigo said gently. 'And don't worry, I'm not going to throw up any more. I went and nicked Rangiku's hangover cure earlier.' Toshiro smiled, and stood up, shyly taking the other man's hand and leading him into the bathroom. Ichigo locked both the doors and turned on the shower, before turning to the captain and kissing him softly. To Toshiro's surprise, he tasted minty.

'You brushed your teeth!', he said in amazement. Ichigo blushed and nodded, embarrassed at being caught. Toshiro captured his lips in a kiss before he could speak, fingers tugging at his shirt. They broke apart, and Ichigo stuck a hand under the stream of water coming from the showerhead.

'Perfect', he said with a smile, stripping off his shirt and boxers before stepping into the shower with a contented sigh.

'You coming in?', he asked, eyes shut.

'Uh, yeah', Toshiro said, now more than a little embarrassed. Ichigo was gorgeous, and he felt self- conscious. _It's now or never_, he told himself, and quickly shed his clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor. Looking up from the floor, he saw Ichigo watching him, and he flushed. But the orange- haired man just smiled tenderly at him.

'You're stunning Toshiro', he said quietly, and the shinigami captain smiled back, if a little shyly. Then he stepped into the shower, and joined Ichigo under the hot water, relaxing as his tense muscles slowly loosened. He turned to the other man and hugged him instinctively, resting his face on a toned shoulder. Ichigo kissed the top of his head, holding him loosely, his hands on the small of the shorter man's back.

Toshiro's skin was sleek under the water, and wonderfully soft, like a small child's. It was delectable, each touch deliciously sensual. He pressed his lips gently to the other man's neck, kissing gently from shoulder to ear and back again, loving the soft sounds Toshiro was making. Not quite a whimper, not quite a moan, but utterly erotic nonetheless.

He started to move his hands slowly up and down the white-haired Captain's back, fingers grazing gently over the skin as he felt Toshiro shiver slightly beneath him. The movement made his abdomen clench in anticipation, and, to his mortification, all his blood began to drain to his groin, leaving him with a rock hard erection that dug pointedly into Toshiro's stomach. A blush as heated as molten lava spread its way across his cheeks as he let go of the other man and turned away.

Then he heard a chuckle, and lithe arms encircled his waist.

'You're adorable when you blush, Ichigo', Toshiro said quietly, the amusement plain in his voice. He turned the taller man to face him, and drew him into a kiss, his own -now prominent- arousal rubbing against the other man's erection, making him groan. But the water made them too slippery, and no friction could be created. With a sigh, they finished up and towelled each other dry.

Then Toshiro folded up a towel and knelt on it -no way was he bruising his knees- and took Ichigo's erection into his mouth, sucking strongly, fighting his gag reflex to take him in deeper, loving the pathetic moans and whimpers that Ichigo could not hold back. Then he began to trail his fingers over the taller man's balls, and he felt Ichigo's muscles clench, and Ichigo came.

'Uhhh! Toshiro!' he cried, his come spurting into his lover's mouth. Toshiro swallowed it all, before standing up and hugging Ichigo -which was just a way of stopping the orange- haired teen from collapsing- until he felt able to walk. Then they went to their -now empty- bedrooms and got dressed before wandering into the living room together.

Rangiku watched them suspiciously.

'What was all that moaning you two?', she asked. Ichigo and Toshiro exchanged a look.

'It was an observational study', Ichigo said quickly. And then he ruined the story by flushing hotly. Toshiro rolled his eyes.

'It was none of your business.'


	8. Enjoyable

**A/N:** Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry for not updating sooner, but I've just been SO busy with college and hw and all this kind of stuff. Anyway, as a thank you, I wrote the long- awaited LEMON. WOO! I know it's kinda a short chapter, but I figured as it's LEMON you'd forgive me.

Anyway, as always, enourous thank yous to everyone mentioned below. I hope you like it!

**Subscribers: **refrigerated,** shamankinggirl086, **AdmiralNguyen,** fantasy115, **Floofwolfe, **Yaoi Dreamer,** Sywren, **Leapingspirit,** lissa james **and** RandomTwirler

**Reviewers:**my renji-kun,** musicallady1 (x2), **hugesandkisses1,** Mithra151, I**nvader Phantom,** Spiritfox, **and** Leapingspirit  
**

**Favouriters: **musicallady1,** AdmiralNguyenV,** clumsyclarinet, **Spiritfox,** and **Sywren**

The next update might be tomorrow, or it might be next week. Who knows?

Reviwers will be loved

* * *

**Chapter VIII- Enjoyable:**

That evening, when everyone had else had finally made their way home -only after Ichigo and Toshiro had promised to host Christmas dinner- and the mess was all cleaned up, the two men collapsed on to one of the sofas together, curling up under a blanket to watch Pirates of the Caribbean.

Ichigo was surprised to say the least, when he had found out that Toshiro found the film funny, and constantly burst out laughing, his face open and relaxed. Not that he was complaining. In fact, he loved seeing the white- haired man enjoying himself, the sight giving him a pleasant warm glow inside. And the fact that Toshiro kept rubbing against his crotch accidentally was giving him a pleasant warm glow of an **entirely** different type.

Eventually, when the friction was getting just a little **too** much, and he could feel himself hardening, he paused the film with a sigh.

'What d'you do that for?', Toshiro said, turning to him with a light frown. 'I really like this bit.' Ichigo sighed again, and rubbed his now prominent erection into the other man's stomach. Toshiro's eyes went wide. 'You mean you weren't even watching the film?'

'Well y'know it was kinda hard to pay attention when you wriggling around and rubbing against me.' The orange- haired man gave a shrug as if to say '_What's a guy to do?'_, which earned him a smack on the arm.

'God, you are **so** one- track minded Ichigo', Toshiro said with a frown. Then an evil grin appeared on his face. 'I think I'm gonna make you pay for stopping the film now.' Ichigo looked at the other man in askance, then gasped when a surprisingly smooth hand made its way past the waistband of his jeans, under his boxers and around his erection, squeezing lightly. Then clever fingers began to unbutton his jeans as the other hand worked him mercilessly, making him cry out wantonly, and arch into that commanding hand like it was the only thing left in the world.

Soon, his jeans and boxers were gone, and he was mewling and whimpering as Toshiro's left hand trailed over his torso, and his right hand worked Ichigo's erection, the symphony of touch bringing him closer and closer to the edge.

'Toshiro...you've...stop...I'm...' Immediately, as soon as Toshiro got the message, he stopped. Ichigo whined a little, but he knew it was the right thing to do. He was fairly sure Toshiro didn't want to have sex **now**, and if he'd continued, well, Ichigo wasn't sure what would have happened after. Then Toshiro surprised him.

'I don't want to spoil what's coming later for you', the white- haired man whispered seductively, his teal eyes hazy, his pupils wide and dilated so that only a small ring of colour showed around them. Ichigo's shock showed in his face, and Toshiro kissed him lightly on the lips, chuckling a little. 'When I said we should wait, I didn't mean forever Ichigo. I want this just as much as you.' Ichigo nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Then he flipped Toshiro on to his back capturing the smaller man's lips fiercely, teeth clacking together slightly as their tongues battled for supremacy in the dark, fevered pants escaping them both, mingled with the odd moan. Soon, Toshiro's t-shirt had been throw to God knows where, and they moved against each other, needing the heat, the friction, **this**. But **this** was not enough, and in a surprise move, Ichigo picked Toshiro up, causing other man to wrap his legs tightly around the substitute shinigami's waist. The taller man wandered along the corridor, kicking his door open as his lips were caught in a heated kiss. He stumbled into the room, kicking the door shut and managing to lay Toshiro down gently on this neatly made bed (soon to be messed up).

The smaller man looked up at him with lust- filled eyes, and he felt his insides clench in anticipation. Quickly, he pulled off his t-shirt, throwing it on to the floor and hurriedly getting rid of Toshiro's jeans and boxers. Then they lay together, kissing passionately as hands wandered and chests heaved, the air thick with heat and needs; wants. It had been so long; they'd waited so long; been so **stupid**. Now it was time; they were ready, and they sure as hell weren't going to wait any more. The whole world could crash and burn, Aizen himself could appear in Karakura Town, and that would not stop them. Not now.

Ichigo slid down the bed, parting Toshiro's legs gently so that he could languidly lick his way up the other man's prominent erection. The captain groaned, trying to buck his hips upwards, but was restrained by Ichigo, who just grinned evilly, and began to cover the swollen member with feather- light kisses and the odd lick, occasionally grazing his teeth over the flesh.

'Dammit Ichigo, just do it!', Toshiro managed to gasp, his control wavering as his body descended into a fog of desire. This drawn out teasing was driving him crazy, and he could not wait for the pleasure that he knew would follow. Ichigo smiled again, more tenderly, and took the painfully hard erection into his mouth inch by inch, having to apply even more pressure on Toshiro's hips to keep from being choked.

But then he had the whole penis in his mouth, and he began to suck and bob, hollowing his cheeks and humming lightly, loving how Toshiro -**his lover**- writhed at his attention, moans and little whimpers falling from the Captain's lips like water. His used his teeth lightly, dipping his tongue into the slit to taste the almost bitter pre-come gathering there. Then he used one hand to trail over the smaller man's thighs, over his lower abdomen, and finally, over his balls. Coordinating this with a particularly hard suck, Ichigo felt Toshiro's muscles clench, and his mouth was suddenly filled with come as the white- haired captain groaned loudly, his hands fisting the sheets tightly.

Ichigo sucked him dry, moving up the bed the and embraced him gently, watching the smooth, white chest heaving as Toshiro sucked in air like he had been saved from drowning. He smiled, tracing the outline of one tan nipple, watching it pucker up and sharpen to a point.

'Oh God, don't stop...', Toshiro whimpered pathetically. 'It feels **so** good...' Ichigo's smile grew into a full blown grin, and he latched on to Toshiro's neck, leaving a wet trail on the white skin, and a few purple bruises here and there. The captain arched into the kisses, Ichigo's name falling from his lips in a constant stream as his still sensitive skin was lavished with attention by the orange- haired substitute shinigami. But it wasn't enough.

'Ichigo, please', he whispered, the words sounding loud in the silence of the room. Ichigo stopped his actions, looking up into Toshiro's wide, desire- filled eyes.

'But...I thought...you wanted...you said...', he whispered brokenly, confusion plain on his face. The white- haired captain shook his head.

'Forget what I said. Everyone wants to let someone else have control every now and again...' Ichigo nodded, rolling to the side slightly, rummaging in a draw in his bedside. He quickly found the lube, and squirted some on to three fingers, parting Toshiro's legs slightly as he leant down for a fierce kiss, at the same time inserting the first finger, stifling the gasp from the smaller man with another kiss. Neither of them were virgins, he knew that much, and he knew Toshiro would never admit to feeling any discomfort or pain. So slowly, he put in another finger, scissoring them gently as he worked his way down Toshiro's neck again, from behind one to ear to behind the other, drawing small moans from the Tenth Division captain. Then, he wrapped his free hand around the other man's now prominent erection, stroking him as he put in the third finger, stretching him as much as possible to make things easier for them both.

Soon, he could not wait any longer, and removed his fingers, slicking his painfully swollen erection with lube. He looked at Toshiro, kissing him lightly on the lips.

'Ready?' A nod was his only answer.

Slowly, he pushed into the tight ring of muscle, using all his self- restraint not to give in to his body and pound into the smaller man without mercy. Inch by inch, he fed himself in, until he was completely sheathed in his lover.

'Move', Toshiro commanded almost immediately. Ichigo was going to question him, when he caught the look in Toshiro's eyes. The captain wanted this just as much as him, and after waiting so long, he wasn't going to wait any longer.

The orange- haired shinigami began to thrust, slowly at first, finding a rhythm that suited them both, Toshiro bucking his hips up to meet each thrust, moaning as Ichigo hit his prostate, making him see stars. Ichigo was filling him up, his scent surrounding him, the heady, musky scent filling his nose and overpowering him.

'Oh!', he gasped desperately, wanting nothing more than that, again. 'Harder! More, **please** Ichigo!' The sound of his name spilling so wantonly from the frosty Captain's lips was the younger man's undoing. He began to thrust harder, pounding into the smaller man in a way that sent them both closer and closer to the edge. Then, Ichigo wrapped his hand around Toshiro's erection, stroking in time with his thrusts, and Toshiro's ragged breath hitched noticeably.

'Ich-**igo**!', he groaned, white come painting his stomach and Ichigo's hand as his world faded away under an onslaught of incredible pleasure. His mouth formed an almost perfect 'O'. His muscles spasmed wildly, clenching around Ichigo, who only thrust a few more times before he was unable to continue, giving in to his own climax.

'Toshiro!', he shouted, filling his lover with his seed as his back arched almost painfully, his hands fisting the sheets. He bit down his lip to the point where he almost drew blood, the sensations wracking his body more powerful than anything he had felt before.

Eventually, they felt able to think clearly, the sweat cooling on their bodies as they lay entangled together in a messy sprawl of limbs. After a while, Ichigo got up and went to the bathroom for a towel, cleaning them up before casting the towel back into the bathroom, and climbing under the sheets with Toshiro, snuggling into an embrace, a scent so different from his own filling his nostrils as he nuzzled into the silky white hair, falling asleep, satiated and happy, a smile upon his lips.


	9. An Obsession

**A/N:** So this is the penultimate chater of GOM. I don't know when Chapter X will be up, as I haven't started writing it yet and I don't know how I'm going to end this thing. Anyway, this is the longest chapter of GOM that I have written so far, and I hope you enjoy it.

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Thank you all so much!

* * *

**Chapter IX- An Obsession:**

The next day, Toshiro woke up early. A bright, white light shone through the curtains, and made the room seem paler than it was. Eagerly, he sat up, sniffing the air excitedly.

'Snow', he breathed, and carefully got out of bed, creeping past Ichigo stealthily before slipping out from beneath the sheets. He padded over to the window, and opened the curtains a crack. Sure enough, a white carpet of crystalline beauty mantled the ground, hanging precariously on trees and roofs. A smile lit up the man's face, and he went silently to his room, where he got dressed, walking out of the apartment with a spring in his step.

He walked out of the house and into the enormous garden with a skip, allowing a small woop of joy to escape him. It was 6am, and no one else was around. It was just him, and the snow. Like a child, he ran through the perfect whiteness, shattering the illusion of perfection without a moment's hesitation. He ran, jumped, turned cartwheels (he'd learned to do them in Rukongai), handsprings, and backflips. He made snow angels, and began to make a snow man, starting off with a snowball and rolling it bigger and bigger until it was too much trouble to roll any more. It was around 75cm in diameter, and he was immensely proud of it. Then he set about making another ball for the rest of the body.

Around two hours later, when he was starting to get hungry, he retreated to the house, almost singing with happiness. He **loved** the cold; **adored** the snow. His zanpakuto was revelling in the weather that was his element, and the shinigami captain was savouring every moment.

* * *

He was a little tired when he got to the apartment, and was quite ready to roll back into bed after his meal. He stumbled through the door, slightly breathless and smiling widely. He made his way to his room, pushing open the door without a care in the world.

Ichigo was sitting on his bed, crying.

The blood drained from his face, and the smile slid away until all evidence of it had completely disappeared.

'Ichigo? What's wrong?', he asked tentatively. Ichigo looked up abruptly, the expression on his face a mix of anguish, surprise and pure relief. With a hoarse cry, he sprung up from the bed and bounded to Toshiro, seizing the smaller man in his arms. He held him tightly, sobbing slightly as he kissed the white hair again and again.

'I thought- I thought you'd left. I thought you'd gone', he muttered brokenly, the pain in his voice glaringly obvious. 'I woke up, and you were just gone. No note, no nothing. I searched the whole apartment, and there was no sign of you...I thought you'd gone. I...well, I thought you'd decided this was a mistake...' Toshiro's eyes widened, and his heart clenched painfully. An unbelievable guilt enveloped him. _How could I be so __**stupid**__?_, he thought angrily._ We've just had sex for the first time, and I just bugger off in the morning without any explanation. God, he must have felt __**awful**__. How the hell will he ever trust me again? Why did I not think to say I was just going to play in the snow? Why couldn't I have just waited a few hours until Ichigo was awake?_

He cursed himself angrily, drawing back from Ichigo a little to look into the orange- haired shinigami's tear- stained face. Gently, he reached up to wipe away the tear that was trickling down Ichigo's reddened cheek. He planted a tender kiss on the taller man's lips.

'Ichigo, I am so, **so**, sorry. I woke up early this morning, and I saw the snow. I just went out without a moment's thought. I'm kicking myself so hard for not waiting until later, or at least leaving you a note or something. I honestly did not mean to leave you like this, without any explanation of where I was. I just got so excited by the snow, and I was distracted...' He trailed off, feeling like a complete idiot in the face of his totally lame excuse. Then Ichigo placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

'It's ok Toshiro. I should have known you'd be out in the snow.' Ichigo smiled widely. 'You always act like a kid when it's cold.' Toshiro stared at him in surprise.

'Aren't you angry?' Ichigo shook his head, smiling even wider.

'No. I'm just glad you're back here. Actually, I think it's kinda cute how you're always drawn to snow. You're like a little child. It's nice to see you so happy and relaxed.' Toshiro scowled.

'Cute?'

'Yep.' He kissed the smaller man quickly, then ruffled his silky white hair. Toshiro's stomach rumbled loudly. Ichigo laughed. 'C'mon Shiro- hime. Let's go get some breakfast.' Toshiro's eyes widened as Ichigo walked out of the room, chuckling a little.

'**Shiro- hime?!** Come back here you baka!' Ichigo laughed happily as he walked to the kitchen. Some things never changed.

* * *

They could not get enough of each other. Every moment was stored away for later, and every touch remembered absolutely. Toshiro spent long hours sketching Ichigo while the other man slept, and Ichigo photographed Toshiro at every opportunity he had, filling up reels of film and regularly needing to upload pictures from his digital camera on to his laptop. They were obsessed with each other, in a way that only lovers are. They spent the next few weeks together, enjoying each other's company and doing couplesy things together. They went to movies, to restaurants, to the theatre (Toshiro poked fun at Ichigo for being uncultured until they went), on walks, and even to the ice rink.

Toshiro, was -of course- a natural skater, his body and skates moving in perfect harmony as he skimmed over the ice with the grace of a god. Ichigo followed him at a considerably slower pace, stumbling occasionally, and muttering under his breath about 'stupidly talented' boyfriends. The orange- haired shinigami had skated before, but was far from proficient, managing to fall over every few minutes or so.

At last, Toshiro took pity on his boyfriend, taking his hand and distracting him with stories about the Gotei 13 and the shinigami in Seireitei. When his mind was not on his feet, Ichigo was actually quite good, and he skated along beside Toshiro happily, although he didn't like to go too fast, grimacing unhappily whenever the smaller man began to speed up.

They had managed five unbroken of the laps of the rink when a shout distracted them, and Ichigo tripped (_Over what?_, wondered Toshiro) and went sprawling on to his hands and knees, cursing loudly.

Toshiro pulled up to a smart stop beside him, and looked in the direction of the shout. A large group of people were walking to the ice rink. It consisted of the shinigami who had come to Karakura Town with him, their hosts, and the rest of the Kurosaki family.

Parents saw the crowd approaching, and within minutes, the ice rink was practically deserted, precious children taken out of reach and away from the suddenly hazardous ice. Toshiro stifled a chuckle, and helped Ichigo up, dragging his boyfriend to the rail, where the taller man grabbed on to it like a drowning man to a life raft.

'Oh my God', he muttered. 'How the hell am I gonna manage to skate with that lot on here? I'll die. I'll actually die, and it'll be in a fatal ice skating accident. What an end to the great Kurosaki Ichigo's life...' Toshiro elbowed him in the ribs. 'Hey! What was that for?'

'Shut it, baka. You're not going to die. And since when are you **great**?' Ichigo scowled slightly, but cheered up when Toshiro squeezed his hand with a smile. 'C'mon Ichi- kun, let's go!' The smaller man's face was shining with happiness as he skated smoothly across the ice that was as cold as he was. There was something wonderful in his childlike amusement.

With a sigh, Ichigo skated slowly across the ice to where Toshiro was leaning against the wall, talking to the group of their friends as they put on their skates.

* * *

Half an hour later, everyone was on the ice, and skating, stumbling and tripping.. Yoruichi and Kisuke were skating together, arms around each other's waists, as were Orihime and Matsumoto, and Yumichika and Shuuhei. Tatsuki and Rukia were holding hands, and so were Renji and Byakuya. (Who, for the first time in living memory, had taken time off) Isshin and Ishida were skating side by side, deep in discussion, the eldest Kurosaki's face serious for once. Chad and Ikkaku were being towed along by Yuzu and Karin (Both of whom were excellent skaters due to enforced lessons in their youth. Ichigo had been spared this as apparently it was "too girly for my manly son" according to Isshin.), and were stumbling and falling constantly. And Ichigo and Toshiro were by the rail, taking a breather from the hazard- ridden ice. Ichigo was more than a little sore by now, and was starting to sulk.

'I'll never be as good as you', he whined. Toshiro smiled at him gently, kissing him quickly on the lips.

'Of course you will, baka. You just need to practise and stop fearing the ice. Then you'll be great. I promise.' Ichigo's scowl slowly disappeared, and he smiled widely, leaning in for a long kiss, not caring who was watching.

'Ah, my son! You're a man now!', Isshin shouted, any vestige of seriousness now gone as he raced towards Ichigo. 'Let Daddy hug you! Masaki- san would be **sooooooo** proud my son!' Yuzu sighed and stuck out a leg as he zoomed past. He dodged it, and skated straight into Karin's fist, which knocked him to the ground. He sat up with a glazed smile on his face. 'Ah, Daddy's little girls have grown up so much!', he said with a grin, before getting up and trying to embrace his daughters, who promptly pummelled him into the ice without a second's hesitation.

Ichigo and Toshiro remained oblivious, until Renji -as usual- ruined the moment.

'Yo! Ichigo!', he shouted. Byakuya fixed him with a glare, which he ignored. The lovers split apart, Ichigo's scowl returning full force.

'What is it, Pineapple?', he shouted angrily.

'Well Strawberry, we were wondering if ya wanted to come clubbing with us. Ya see, we're getting kinda bored with this ice skating shit, and if Ikkaku doesn't leave soon, he'll be one massive bruise. So, ya in?' Ichigo glared at him, and was about to wear at him when a hand on his arm stopped him.

'Hey, clam down, baka. He means well, even if he doesn't show it. C'mon, it'll be fun.' Ichigo looked at his boyfriend uncertainly. Toshiro smiled encouragingly. 'Really, it'll be good. And besides, I want to have a dance with you that has a happy ending.' Ichigo smiled ruefully at that, then grinned.

'What, like hot, passionate sex?', he asked cheekily.

'Baka', Toshiro said, unable to completely hide his grin. Then he turned to Renji. 'Sure, we're in.' Renji nodded, and began shouting at everyone else. Toshiro felt his pulse quicken at the thought of clubbing.

'C'mon, Ichi- kun, let's go!', he said excitedly. Ichigo smiled and ruffled his hair gently, dodging the smack it earned him. Then they held hands and skated slowly to the edge of the rink, both eagerly anticipating what was to come.

* * *

They went to the same club as all those nights ago; the Gods of Dance. Toshiro smirked at the thought, and Ichigo looked at him with a raise eyebrow.

'We're Death Gods, remember? I wonder what the club owners would think if they knew they had **real** gods dancing in their club?' Ichigo laughed, and kissed him on the cheek. This calmed the smaller man down a little, as the Captain's pulse had been racing as they got closer and closer to the entrance of the club.

At last, they got into the club, and without a moment's hesitation, Toshiro grabbed Ichigo's hand and pulled him on to the dancefloor; weaving his way through the press of bodies to the centre of the floor.

They moved together in perfect harmony, alone in their own world. The night passed in a haze of heat, movement and fun. Everyone was on the floor, moving as if there was no tomorrow, and there was **something** in the air, an almost tangible feeling of wonder and beauty.

Then the DJ changed the track, and Toshiro came out of the spell Ichigo had him under, suddenly realising that it must be quite late. Kylie Minogue's 'All I See' poured out of the speakers, and he and Ichigo moved in their own little space, Toshiro's arms wrapped around the taller man's neck, the substitute shinigami's strong arms around his boyfriend's waist.. The rest of their party had gone to the bar, or the table they'd taken over, and most of the other clubbers had left. The dancefloor was slowly emptying, and the lovers were in a large circle of space.

Ichigo had his eyes closed, and he was swaying gently in time to the beat, a happy little smile on his face. Toshiro looked at him tenderly, still amazed that he could have found someone like this, especially in a man like Ichigo. Then it hit him, quite suddenly, like a bolt from the blue. _I love Ichigo_. And that was it.

'I love you', he whispered into Ichigo's ear, and leant back to see his boyfriend's eyes wide open and staring.

'D'you mean that?', Ichigo asked, a look of something undefinable on his face. 'D'you really mean it?' Toshiro nodded shyly, praying that he hadn't misjudged the moment and terrified his boyfriend. But Ichigo's eyes lit up like there was a candle behind them, and he gave a wordless cry of joy, seizing Toshiro and crushing him in a hug before capturing his lips in a passionate, lingering kiss. It was incredible, and it left them both breathless. Ichigo's erection dug into Toshiro's thigh as they broke apart, and his own hardening member was probably doing the same to his boyfriend. 'I love you too, Hitsugaya Toshiro', the orange- haired shinigami whispered tenderly into his ear. 'Now what about leaving this club so we can go and have hot, kinky sex all night?' There was a mischievous glint in Ichigo's eyes, and Toshiro could not help but smile, before bursting out laughing, in the middle of the club, not giving a damn who saw because he was with Ichigo, and that was all that mattered.


	10. Possiblities

**A/N: **So here's the last chapter of Growing On Me. It's been some journey, that began on August 14th, and finishes today. I've had a ball writing a chaptered IchiHitsu fic, and I hope you've enjoyed it too, all my fabulous readers.

Anyway, I'm ending the fic here, but not the story. This is because GOM was about a specific bit of the story I want to tell, and writing more of the story in GOM would be weird. The sequel will be darker, possibly shorter, and I have **absolutely no idea** when I'm going to start it or post it. Sorry.

A huge thank you, as usual, to all the people below, and to all the people mentioned in previous chapters. Also, thank you to Heuk Ya for writing awesome IchiHitsu fics that have inspired me.

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Woo! I wrote you all a **LEMON**. I hope you like it... And a thousand curses on my laptop for crashing numerous times so I had to write the lemon four frickin times!

* * *

**Chapter X- Possibilities:**

Toshiro and Ichigo finally got back to their apartment at some ungodly hour of the morning, which Toshiro thought might have been around 3am. Then again, the clock was kind of blurry, so he couldn't be sure. And he was a little bit drunk.

They ended up in Ichigo's bed, casting off as much of their clothing as they could manage, before collapsing on to the bed, crawling under the sheets, curling up together and falling asleep. Neither of them moved from where they lay.

* * *

Ichigo woke up the next morning as the sun was streaming through his still open curtains. Blinking blearily, he looked at his clock, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was 11.27 am. He stared at the clock for a few minutes, then yawned until his jaw clicked, and flopped back on to the bed. He turned slightly, watching Toshiro's smooth, muscular chest rising and falling gently while he slept. The smaller man looked beautiful, and utterly at peace. Ichigo smiled tenderly, ghosting a kiss on to his shoulder. He froze when teal eyes cracked open, glaring at him despite their sleepiness.

'Kurosaki, what time is it?', the captain mumbled. Ichigo cleared his throat.

'It's half eleven Shiro-kun.' Toshiro's eyes widened in shock, and he sat up abruptly, looking stern and worried. Then he yawned loudly, and totally spoiled the whole look. Ichigo smiled, and decided that today, Toshiro's frosty demeanour would not be allowed to make an appearance.

He leant over his smaller lover, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, fervently hoping he didn't have morning breath. Toshiro didn't seem to care if he did, as the older man reacted eagerly, coaxing Ichigo's mouth open and slipping his tongue into it.

The kiss was lingering and leisurely, fanning the flames of desire slowly. There was nothing hasty about it, just a relaxed sense of want. Hands glided over skin, moans slipping from swollen lips as they touched and teased one another. The sense of want -of need- was always there, but it could wait for now. At that moment, they only wanted to be like this; to be with each other. Fingers trailed over sensitive skin, and gasps and groans shattered the silence.

Ichigo finally broke the spell of foreplay, kissing a hot path from Toshiro's mouth, down his neck, over his chest, past his navel, and to the trail of pure white hair that led below the smaller man's boxers to his erection.

He slowly pulled the boxers off, and Toshiro gasped when the cold air hit his hot skin. But just as Ichigo was about to continue his trail of kisses, a hand on his hair halted him in his tracks. He stopped, and looked up at Toshiro, into his beautiful teal eyes.

'I want this to be about us. Together', his lover whispered. Ichigo nodded, and slipped back up the bed, leaning down to his boyfriend to capture his kiss- reddened lips in a lock. Their mouths worked hungrily together as the taller man used his left hand to grope around on his bedside table until he found the jar of lube he was looking for.

He eventually managed to get it open, while trying very hard not to be distracted as Toshiro's talented tongue tangled with his own, and his lover bit down lightly on his lip, tugging on it a little, the almost- pain driving Ichigo wild. There was mischief in the smaller man's eyes, and Ichigo found it hard to stifle a grin. He finally got three fingers coated, and put the jar back on to the bedside table. Then he caught the mischievous twinkle again, and he thought _Two can play at that game. _He smiled, and kissed Toshiro back heatedly.

His hand trailed down Toshiro's body, and he parted the smaller man's legs gently, gliding his slick hand down the path of skin that led to his final destination. When he reached the puckered ring of muscle, he teased his lover by touching around it, tracing his smooth fingers over it, and getting close, but never going in. At last, after several minutes of this, he gradually pushed in the first finger, moving it achingly slowly, keeping Toshiro's hips from bucking with one hand as he worked the smaller man at a snail's pace, adding a second finger and brushing over his prostate when the captain had begun to frown.

This exquisite tortured continued for a while, and he felt himself getting even harder (something he had not thought possible) as Toshiro began to writhe beneath him. Then he added the third finger, continuing his slow pace while his lover moaned loudly, his rapid heartbeat strong against Ichigo's chest. And when he removed the fingers...

Toshiro actually whimpered. True, the drawn- out torment had being driving him wild, but he was over- sensitised by it, and the loss of contact was almost painful. Then he felt the head of Ichigo's erection pushing into him, and he could have gasped in relief. But rather than the hard, fast, treatment he had been expecting, (and needed) he was filled inch by incredible inch.

It took Ichigo a long time to push himself in completely, and by the time he was buried to the hilt, Toshiro was whimpering again. He was being driven to distraction by this prolonged sex, and he needed release from the sensations that were filling his body. It was so much; almost too much, especially as Ichigo did not move for a long minute, his eyes screwed shut as he fought his body's desire to slam into the tight, searingly hot heat that surrounded his erection. And when he began to draw out as slowly as he'd pushed in, Toshiro could not help but moan pathetically.

Then he was filled in one slick movement, his prostate hit dead on. He practically screamed, his hands fisting the sheets desperately as his body was hit by a wave of pleasure. _At last_, he thought thankfully, knowing he would -at last- get the pace he desired. Except that Ichigo drew out as slowly as before, the friction between them like nothing else.

'**Please**, Ichigo!', Toshiro gasped pleading. He received a gentle smile, a direct hit on to his prostate, and a slight shake of the head. He groaned as he realised this torture was going to continue.

Ichigo loved watching his lover writhe beneath him like this; loved knowing that he was the only one who was making Hitsugaya Toshiro, youngest captain of the Gotei 13 (also the most bad- tempered and stuffy) gasp and moan. So he continued his actions, delighting in the reaction it caused just as much as the amazing friction and tight heat that surrounded him.

At last, Toshiro could not stand the torment, and decided to inflict a little torture of his own. His hips bucked up to meet Ichigo's thrusts, and his muscles clenched like a vice around the taller man's erection. Ichigo groaned deeply, kissing the captain passionately in lieu of a thank you, unable to form coherent words in the face of such incredible sensations.

After a while, he knew he was close, and that Toshiro was too. So he reached between their sweat slicked bodies, taking hold of the erection that was hot to the touch and leaking pre- come, stroking it in time with his thrusts. And soon, it was all too much.

Toshiro came first, the continuous hits on his prostate and the hand on his erection driving him over the edge, shouting Ichigo's name into the still air. He could not hold back, spurting over Ichigo's hand and their chests as his muscles clenched and unclenched spasmodically. He had never felt such an onslaught of sensation before, and it swamped him completely, his back arching into a reflexive curve.

Ichigo managed only a few more thrusts into the vice- like clamping of Toshiro's muscles, the tight heat causing him to fill his lover with viscous seed as he was wrung dry. He had never had such a powerful orgasm before, and he blacked out for a few seconds under the weight of feelings that wracked his body and set his nerves on fire.

Eventually, he recovered, finding a last drop of energy from somewhere to pull out of Toshiro and roll off him to lie bonelessly on the bed. The smaller man crawled to him, disregarding their sticky state and slumping into an embrace, a peaceful smile on his face. Within minutes, they were asleep.

* * *

Much later, Toshiro woke up; and finding the bed empty, went to take a shower, before throwing on a kimono and walking into the kitchen, where the scent of pasta set his stomach rumbling.

'Been up for long?', he asked his lover, who was cooking a meaty sauce. Ichigo shook his head, turning around to steal a kiss.

'Nope. Around thirty minutes or so. I was just starving, and I figured you would be too. So I took a shower and decided to make something. I hope you don't mind.' Toshiro kissed the back of his neck, winding his arms around the taller man's waist.

'Of course not. And I am starving. That was quite a work-out earlier.' Ichigo looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

'A work out? We have incredible, mind- blowing sex and you call it a work out?' Toshiro grinned, and kissed Ichigo's neck again.

'Well I suppose it was the best sex I've ever had, so I guess you could call it fun.' Ichigo's chuckle made him smile, and he unwound his arms to begin laying the table.

* * *

It was around eight o'clock when a knock on the door broke the reverie they had settled into. Ichigo yawned, and stretched.

'I'd better get that', he said with a rueful smile, standing up and yawning again. 'It could be important.' Toshiro nodded, and relaxed on to the sofa, stretching into the space where Ichigo had been. He heard the door open, but did not expect what he heard next.

'Byakuya- san? What brings you here?' He sat up immediately, rearranging his kimono so that it fully covered him, before standing up to see Byakuya in the doorway, Renji behind him, looking worried.

'Can we come in? This might take a while.' Ichigo nodded, and gestured at the sofas.

'Can I get you anything? Wine, beer, water, juice?'

'Wine would be lovely, Ichigo- san. Red please.'

'Uh, a beer would be great Ichigo.' Ichigo looked at Toshiro, who shook his head, before sitting down and indicating for their guests to do the same.

'I thought you were on leave Byakuya?' The pale nobleman nodded his head, graciously accepting the wine Ichigo had brought him. Renji nodded his thanks for the beer, and Ichigo came back with two glasses of red wine, placing one in front of himself and one in front of Toshiro.

'I thought you might need one', he said gravely. Then he turned to Byakuya. 'So what is it that you've come to tell us?' Byakuya looked at them seriously.

'I have received a message from Yamamoto soutaichou. He has requested that you, Toshiro rein Ichigo in, keeping him under your control. He does not believe that you will stay loyal to us, Ichigo- san, and so he is expecting Toshiro to keep you on a leash, using your love for each other as a way of keeping you in check.' The nobleman sighed, his composure breaking for a moment. 'I should not be telling you this, but I cannot agree with this plan. It goes against my principles, and as you have so often shown me, Ichigo- san, sometimes it is necessary to do what you feel is right, rather than what society dictates that you should do.'

Ichigo and Toshiro shared a look. They had known that Yamamoto was worried about Ichigo's loyalty, but this was a length that the had not expected him to go to. To use their love against each other, to force them apart so that Yamamoto could be sure of Ichigo's loyalty; well, it was something beyond their comprehension. They had realised something might happen, but neither of them had realised the drastic lengths their leader might go to. Ichigo's temper flared up, his reiatsu filled with murderous intent. Toshiro's was cold, but just as deadly. Then Byakuya coughed, and drew their attention to him, a subtle reminder to keep their reiatsu in check..

'There is to be a tribunal, on January the Fifth. Both of you are required to attend, and the Gotei 13 will vote on this matter, and also on the matter of Ichigo's position in Soul Society and Seireitei. Your life hangs in the balance Ichigo-san.'


End file.
